China's first mandatory national standard on the green environmental protection requirements of express packaging, "Limits of Heavy Metals and Specific Substances in Express Packaging" (GB 43352-2023), will be officially implemented on June 1, 2024. In August, CTTL-Terminal Labs (CTTL-T) obtained the CNAS accreditation of the standard control project and can carry out relevant testing services.

The mandatory national standard of "Limits of Heavy Metals and Specific Substances in Express Packaging" respectively puts forward the overall limit requirements and individual limit requirements for heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium and other heavy metals for paper, plastics, textile fibers and composite materials, and also stipulates the limit requirements for solvent residues, bisphenol A, phthalates and other specific substances.

The types of express packaging that are subject to standard control include:

• Paper express packaging, mainly including kraft cardboard, coated white cardboard, corrugated cardboard, honeycomb cardboard, thermal paper and other main raw materials made of express envelopes, packaging boxes, electronic waybills and paper fillers;
• Plastic express packaging, mainly including express packaging bags, plastic fillers, tapes, recycling boxes/bags, etc. made of resin as the main raw material;
• Textile fiber express packaging mainly includes express container bags made of natural and chemical fibers such as cotton, linen, and polyester fibers as the main raw materials.

As China's first mandatory national standard for green environmental protection of express packaging, the implementation of the standard not only provides a technical basis for the production and testing of green express packaging, but also sets the environmental protection red line of the express packaging industry, and products that do not meet the mandatory national standards shall not be produced, sold and used. The implementation of this standard is also conducive to reducing environmental pollution from the source, protecting human health and the environment, promoting green consumption and green logistics, and contributing to the construction of a beautiful China. On the other hand, the standard's requirements for green and environmentally friendly express packaging will also drive the improvement of packaging requirements for other products, which will have a significant impact on the upstream and downstream enterprises of the express packaging industry chain. The CTTL-T will help enterprises meet the control requirements in a timely manner, avoid corresponding risks, and escort the green quality improvement of the express packaging industry.