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APEC Conference on Recycled Plastics for Food Contact Held in Beijing to Discuss Policy Standards and Practice Paths
author: CPRRA
2025-07-23
On July 16-17, 2025, the APEC Regional Policy Standards and Best Practices Project on Recycled Plastics for Food Contact will be successfully held in Beijing. A total of 68 participants from 10 APEC member economies, including Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Thailand, the United States, Vietnam, and China, as well as government representatives, experts, scholars, technical institutions, and industry professionals from the European Union, attended the meeting. The conference is hosted by the China National Institute of Standardization (hereinafter referred to as the Institute) and chaired by Li Qiang, Deputy Director of the Institute of Agricultural Food Standardization at the Institute
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conference overview
conference overview
Wang Yuhan, a second level researcher from the International Cooperation Department of the State Administration for Market Regulation, and Li Zhiping, Vice President of the Standards Institute, attended the meeting and delivered speeches. Wang Yuhan stated that the approval and implementation of the Standard Institute's project on recycled plastics for food contact is an important manifestation of transforming the goals of the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040 into practical, quantifiable, and widely shared green actions. Vice President Li Zhiping emphasized that China attaches great importance to the sustainable use of recycled plastics, pointing out that in the era of global sustainable development and green transformation, we must face new challenges in green development, seize new opportunities for the promotion and application of recycled plastics, and embark on a new journey of coordinated promotion of green and low-carbon development in the Asia Pacific region.
At the meeting, project leader Li Qiang shared the analysis results of the project survey questionnaire. Subsequently, Dr. Zhu Lei, Director of the Standards Research Center of the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center, Sarah McMullen, Director of the US Food and Drug Administration Office in China, Hyung II KIM, Deputy Director of the Food Additive Standards Division of the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Jet Chang, Chairman of the Environmental Working Group of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, Hadiyan Fariz Azhar, Executive Director of the Indonesian Plastic Recycling Association, Wang Wang, Executive Vice President of the Plastic Recycling Branch of the China Synthetic Resin Association, Dr. Pan Jingjing from the National Key Laboratory for Food Contact Material Testing (Guangdong), Zhang Xia, General Manager of Intertek Assuris Asia Pacific, Wang Shuang, Director of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs for PepsiCo Greater China, and Jim Huang, Senior Director of Food Contact Materials at Coca Cola Company Ten experts gave wonderful speeches on the regulatory policies, risk assessment progress, application implementation paths, and best practices of recycled plastics used in food contact. The attendees had a thorough and in-depth exchange of ideas.
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Three major challenges of recycled plastics used in food contact in China
DfR、 Consumer engagement and digital traceability
Three major challenges of recycled plastics used in food contact in China
DfR、 Consumer engagement and digital traceability
Wang Wang, Executive Vice President of the Plastic Recycling Branch of the China Synthetic Resin Association, gave a speech on the theme of "Crossing the Critical Point of rPET for Food Contact in China", delving into the challenges faced by recycled plastics (rPET) for food contact in China.
He stated that the publicly announced amount of plastic waste generated in China in 2024 will reach 62 million tons, with 19.5 million tons being recycled. However, this figure is clearly underestimated. According to calculations by the Plastic Recycling Branch of the China Synthetic Resin Association, there is a significant difference between the actual amount of waste and recycling.
Wang Wang pointed out that the core reasons for plastic leakage from an economic perspective are: incorrect pricing, unnecessary responsibility, unclear property rights, and two ways to solve plastic pollution: reuse and primary recycling. Wang Wang emphasized that the logic of China's plastic pollution control is shifting from preventing leaks to improving the efficiency of plastic resources. He proposed three major challenges: DfR (Recyclable Design), closed-loop recycling with consumer participation, and digital traceability.
Wang Wang stated that crossing critical points requires the "greatest common denominator" of collaboration between management, technology, industry, and consumers, as well as the "safety redundancy design" of technological innovation and the "trust loop" of management, market, and industry. He firmly believes that whether it is a big step or a small step, it will drive the progress of the industry, and China's food contact recycled plastic industry is developing towards a greener and more sustainable direction.
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ChinaReplas Ningbo: Exploring the Future of Plastic Recycling Together
ChinaReplas Ningbo: Exploring the Future of Plastic Recycling Together
At the APEC Regional Conference on Policy Standards and Best Practices for Recycled Plastics in Food Contact, attending experts discussed in depth the regulatory policies, risk assessment progress, application and implementation paths, and best practice experiences of recycled plastics in food contact. This not only reflects the high global attention to the application of recycled plastics, but also further highlights the enormous development potential of the recycled plastics industry under policy promotion.
With the continuous promotion of policies and the sustained growth of market demand, the plastic recycling industry is facing unprecedented development opportunities. In order to better grasp this trend and explore new paths for industry development, the 8th China International Plastic Recycling Exhibition, ChinaReplas2025, will be held from September 3 to 5, 2025 at the Ningbo International Convention and Exhibition Center in Zhejiang. As a professional exhibition focusing on the entire industry chain of plastic recycling and regeneration, this exhibition will provide a comprehensive platform for the industry to showcase, exchange and cooperate.
Chengdu Changda and Aibolv jointly build an intelligent recycling system for renewable resources in Chengdu
Formally put into operation! From laboratory to 200000 tons/year industrial demonstration, Huicheng Environmental Protection reconstructs the green recycling industry chain of waste plastics
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