News on the Foreign Market of Degradable Packaging Bags: Opportunities and Changes under the Green Wave

The EU OK Compost industrial composting certification is an important threshold for degradable plastic bags to enter the European market. This certification requires that plastic bags achieve a biodegradation rate of over 90% within 180 days in an industrial composting environment at 58 ± 2 °C, and the heavy metal content must meet the limit values of the EN 13432 standard. Data from 2023 shows that the price premium of plastic bags with this certification in the EU market can reach 30%. The EU also mandates that starting from 2025, all lightweight packaging bags must pass the OK Compost certification. This has led to the shift of the global production capacity of degradable plastic bags to Asia. Currently, China accounts for 60% of the production capacity of plastic bags with dual certifications (simultaneously passing the EU OK Compost industrial composting certification and the US BPI degradability standard). Many enterprises have been investing in research and development to meet the strict certification standards in order to enter the EU market, thus promoting the technological progress of the industry.

The standard of the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) in the United States has significant influence in the US market, and its certification mark has become a procurement threshold for retail giants like Walmart. The US Federal Acquisition Regulation also requires giving priority to products with BPI certification. The BPI certification is based on the ASTM D6407 standard, using a mesophilic (about 35 °C) composting environment test and requiring a degradation rate of over 90% within 12 months. It pays more attention to the applicability of materials in the scenario of backyard composting. Market research shows that although the price of products with dual certifications (EU OK Compost and US BPI) is 2 - 3 times higher than that of traditional PE bags, the life cycle assessment proves that their carbon footprint can be reduced by 62%, which conforms to the demand trend for eco-friendly products in the US market.

Factors such as policy incentives, technological innovation, and market demand are jointly driving the industry forward. Although there are still some challenges in aspects such as consumer awareness and cost control, with the continuous improvement of various standards and continuous technological breakthroughs, degradable packaging bags are expected to embrace a broader development space in foreign markets in the future and become the mainstream products in the packaging industry.