The Ministry of Commerce announced the limited plastic ban phase task table

On August 31, 2020, the General Office of the Ministry of Commerce issued a notice on further strengthening the control of plastic pollution in the commercial sector, announcing the phased task of banning plastic and limiting plastic,

It is required that by the end of 2020, non-degradable plastic bags will be prohibited in shopping malls, supermarkets, catering and take-out services and various exhibition activities in built-up areas of municipalities directly under the Central Government, provincial capitals and cities separately listed on the State plan; by the end of 2020, the catering industry nationwide will be prohibited from using non-degradable disposable plastic straws; by the end of 2022, star hotels, hotels and other places nationwide will no longer actively provide disposable plastic products. By the end of 2025, the scope of implementation will be expanded to all hotels, hotels and homestays.

The following is a summary of the notice:

Local commercial authorities should strengthen policy guidance, give full play to the role of policy guidance such as planning, standards, and capital allocation in green shopping malls, green catering, e-commerce platforms, and recycling of renewable resources, increase requirements related to the prohibition of plastic and plastic restrictions, and promote business The development of new models and new business formats in the field of plastic reduction.

Guide shopping malls, supermarkets and other places to promote the use of environmentally friendly cloth bags, paper bags and other non-plastic products and degradable plastic bags through incentives such as bonus points, encourage the establishment of self-service and intelligent delivery devices, and promote the use of degradable packaging films (bags) for fresh products.

Promote the use of bio-based, degradable plastic bags and other alternative products that meet performance and food safety requirements in the field of food and beverage takeout.

Strengthen the management of merchants settled in e-commerce, takeaway and other platform enterprises, formulate alternative implementation plans for the reduction of disposable plastic products, and promote recyclable, easily recyclable and degradable alternative products.

Full text of the notice:

The competent commerce departments of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, cities under separate state planning and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:

As an important basic material, plastic is widely used in the field of trade circulation. In recent years, the consumption of plastic products, especially disposable plastic products, has continued to rise, bringing new challenges to environmental pollution control. In order to implement the decision-making and deployment of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on plastic pollution control, do a solid job in plastic pollution control in the commercial field, and ensure that the objectives of plastic pollution control are completed on schedule, the relevant matters are hereby notified as follows:

1. implement the requirements of the relevant provisions of the plastic ban and plastic restriction

In April 2020, the 17th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress amended and adopted the Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by the People's Republic of China Solid Waste (hereinafter referred to as the Solid Waste Law), which gave new responsibilities and put forward new requirements for plastic pollution control in the commercial field. In the first half of this year, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and other departments successively issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Control of Plastic Pollution" (NDRC 2020 No. 80) and the "Notice on Solidly Promoting the Control of Plastic Pollution" (NDRC Huanzi 2020 No. 1146) and other policy documents put forward clear requirements for the phased tasks of banning plastic and limiting plastic in the commercial field (see the annex for details). Local commercial authorities should focus on key areas such as shopping malls, supermarkets, bazaars, catering, accommodation, exhibitions, e-commerce, etc., accurately grasp the specific plastic ban and plastic restriction requirements of different plastic products in the implementation area and time node, and earnestly implement them.

2. compaction local territorial management responsibility and industry management responsibility

The competent commercial departments of all provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) should layer their responsibilities, further strengthen industry management, adhere to the strict prohibition of plastic and plastic restrictions and promote the green development of the industry, and propose practical governance measures based on the actual situation of the industry, and incorporate them into the provincial government Implementation plan. At the same time, it is necessary to urge the competent commercial departments of provincial capitals, cities separately listed in the plan, and cities at or above the prefecture level to analyze and evaluate key and difficult problems in various fields, and put forward targeted and specific promotion measures one by one, so as to ensure the completion of the objectives and tasks of each stage in the region.

3. do a good job in the report of disposable plastic products

According to Article 69 of the "Solid Waste Law", commodity retail establishments, e-commerce platform enterprises, and takeaway enterprises shall report to the commerce department the use and recycling of disposable plastic products such as plastic bags in accordance with relevant national regulations. The Ministry of Commerce will separately formulate relevant regulations on the use and recycling report of disposable plastic products in the commercial field, and establish a corresponding information reporting platform to facilitate local and enterprise reporting information. Local competent commercial departments should supervise and guide relevant enterprises to do a good job in information submission, and timely summary and report as required. At the same time, it is necessary to announce the use and recycling of plastic products in the region in an appropriate manner and accept social supervision.

4. improve the supervision mechanism of commercial law enforcement

Where the law enforcement team and functions are retained in the competent commercial department, it is necessary to earnestly perform the law enforcement duties entrusted by the "solid waste Law" in accordance with the rules and regulations; where the law enforcement team and functions are assigned to the market supervision department, it is necessary to establish and improve the work coordination mechanism and cooperate with the comprehensive law enforcement departments to do a good job in relevant work. It is necessary to strengthen daily supervision and expose the problems found in a timely manner. If plastic environmental pollution and ecological damage are found in the supervision, the relevant clues shall be handed over to the comprehensive law enforcement team for ecological environment protection in a timely manner.

5. strengthen policy support guarantee

Local commercial authorities should strengthen policy guidance, give full play to the role of policy guidance such as planning, standards, and capital allocation in green shopping malls, green catering, e-commerce platforms, and recycling of renewable resources, increase requirements related to the prohibition of plastic and plastic restrictions, and promote business The development of new models and new business formats in the field of plastic reduction. Guide shopping malls, supermarkets and other places to promote the use of environmentally friendly cloth bags, paper bags and other non-plastic products and degradable plastic bags through incentives such as bonus points, encourage the establishment of self-service and intelligent delivery devices, and promote the use of degradable packaging films (bags) for fresh products. Accelerate the establishment of a centralized purchase and sale system for shopping bags in bazaars. Promote the use of bio-based, degradable plastic bags and other alternative products that meet performance and food safety requirements in the field of food and beverage takeout. Strengthen the management of merchants settled in e-commerce, takeaway and other platform enterprises, formulate alternative implementation plans for the reduction of disposable plastic products, and promote recyclable, easily recyclable and degradable alternative products.

6. strengthen publicity and guidance

Local commercial authorities must conscientiously implement the new development concept, increase publicity on plastic pollution control, organize industry associations, market entities, etc. to make full use of traditional media such as radio and television, and new media such as Weibo and WeChat to further publicize relevant laws Regulations and related requirements for the prohibition of plastic and plastic restrictions, and advocate a simple, moderate, green and low-carbon life concept and lifestyle.