Alert! The Era of "Twelve Mandatory Penalties" Is Upon Us – Conduct Self-Inspection Now!

Postal administrations across all 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China have fully launched environmental law enforcement initiatives. A nationwide green regulatory network is tightening its grip, while a technological innovation aimed at eradicating plastic pollution has quietly emerged.

01 Law Enforcement Coverage

The iron fist of environmental law enforcement has extended to every corner of the express delivery industry. The State Post Bureau recently revealed that as of November 30 this year, postal administrations in all 31 provincial-level regions across the country have fully rolled out environmental law enforcement work.

Enforcement intensity varies by region, with provinces including Jiangxi, Shandong, Yunnan, Jiangsu, and Henan taking particularly prominent enforcement actions.

Notably, 15 provincial-level regions such as Beijing and Xinjiang have taken the lead in achieving full coverage of environmental law enforcement within their jurisdictions, forming a seamless regulatory network with no blind spots.

These enforcement actions are based on the revised Interim Regulations on Express Delivery Services, which came into effect in June 2025. The regulation has expanded the number of environmental law enforcement violations to 12, known in the industry as the "Twelve Mandatory Penalties", which form the core framework for the current environmental supervision of express packaging.

02 Law Enforcement Upgrade

From regular scheduling to "law enforcement plus legal popularization", and from national random inspections to "photo reporting" for clue feedback, the methods of environmental law enforcement are becoming increasingly diversified and systematic.

The Department of Market Regulation of the State Post Bureau specially interpreted the environmental law enforcement violations at a national ecological and environmental protection training course, putting forward specific requirements such as "law enforcement plus legal popularization". This means that law enforcement is not only about punishment, but also a process of education and guidance.

Joint inspections have become the norm. Competent authorities conduct regular random checks on plastic express packaging in 14 provinces including Beijing, and guide local postal administrations to investigate and punish violations in accordance with the law once problems are detected.

The scope of law enforcement is also expanding. The Postal Administration of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, together with 9 departments including the Department of Ecology and Environment and the Administration for Market Regulation, launched a special campaign for plastic pollution control across the region, which lasted for more than a month.

03 Industry Pain Points

As law enforcement intensifies, the challenges facing the express packaging industry have become increasingly prominent. Most of the mainstream biodegradable materials currently available on the market require controlled industrial composting conditions to achieve complete degradation.

This means that even if these "environmentally friendly materials" are used, they will still be difficult to degrade if they end up in landfills or the natural environment, greatly reducing their environmental benefits.

The green transformation of express packaging is facing dual challenges of cost and performance. Compared with traditional plastic packaging, environmentally friendly materials are often more expensive, and their physical properties often struggle to fully meet the requirements of express transportation.

At the same time, regulatory pressure continues to mount. In May this year, the Ministry of Commerce and the National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued the Measures for the Administration of Business Operators' Use and Reporting of Disposable Plastic Products in the Commercial Sector. Henan Province also released the Regulations on the Prohibition of Non-degradable Disposable Plastic Products (Draft) and solicited public opinions.

04 Technological Breakthrough

While the traditional plastic industry is under environmental pressure, an innovative technology is quietly changing the game rules. Geyu ABT Anaerobic Biodegradation Technology provides a brand-new solution to white pollution.

The core of this technology lies in implanting a certain proportion of "degradation formula" into the structure of traditional plastics, enabling traditional plastics to be decomposed by microorganisms in low-oxygen or oxygen-free natural environments. The final products are carbon dioxide, methane, and a small amount of mineralized inorganic salts, with no microplastics left behind.

It is particularly worth mentioning that this technology does not alter the production processes, mechanical properties, or application scenarios of traditional plastics, nor does it require additional equipment investment. Its overall cost is more than 50% lower than that of other fully biodegradable materials, and is expected to drop further after large-scale mass production.

05 Future Potential

Anaerobic biodegradation technology has passed a number of authoritative tests. It has been verified by 9 domestic and foreign authoritative institutions, including the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the U.S. EDEN Materials Laboratory, Intertek UK, and the Ningbo Customs Technical Center.

Currently, Geyu Company is taking the lead in formulating group, local, industry, and national standards for the anaerobic biodegradation of industrial packaging, postal packaging, disposable plastic fast-moving consumer goods, and plastic mulch films. The establishment of these standards will further promote the popularization and application of the technology.

In the battlefield of express packaging, the iron fist of regulatory "Twelve Mandatory Penalties" and the innovation of technological "anaerobic biodegradation" are reshaping the industry rules. Enterprises that can quickly embrace this green transformation may take the lead in the next round of industry reshuffle.