The 2nd International Pulp Molding New Technology and Equipment Products Exhibition hosted by the Pulp Molding Machinery and Products Branch of China Food Packaging Machinery Industry Association was held in Beijing. More than 100 related companies and more than 50 exhibitors gathered together. Mr. Joseph Grygn y, Chairman of the International Pulp Molding and Environmental Packaging Association, attended the exhibition and made a speech.
The reporter interviewed a number of companies at the meeting. They talked about policies the most and thought about costs the most.
A sales manager from a paper molded products company in Xuzhou told reporters: If there is no "Order No. 6", there will be no development of the pulp molding industry; but if the current cost cannot be lowered, the pulp molding industry will also come. The end. This sounds a bit mysterious, but it's not an exaggeration.
Inflationary effect caused by industrial adjustment
On January 22, 1999, the State Economic and Trade Commission issued "Order No. 6", which announced the first batch of outdated production capacity, technology and product catalogs. One-time foamed plastic tableware was included in the project to be eliminated within a time limit, and it was stopped by the end of 2000. use. As soon as this order came out, there was an uproar from the industrial sector to all walks of life. Is it true that the most commonly used lunch boxes have to change? People are arguing and watching, and many people seem to see the huge business opportunities that this brings. Since then, various alternative projects have been launched one after another, and the "environmental-friendly lunch box" that has been rushing into the market has begun to show signs of disorderly competition.
On November 19 of the same year, the national standard came out. Two national standards, "General Technical Requirements for Disposable Degradable Tableware" and "Test Method for Degradation Performance of Disposable Degradable Tableware" were released and officially implemented on January 1, 2000. Previously, the State Planning Commission and the State Economic and Trade Commission had decided that before the national standards for disposable degradable tableware were officially promulgated, all new or expanded projects of this type, regardless of the investment size and source of funds, would be suspended for approval. For projects, banks at all levels are not allowed to grant loans, and imported equipment is not allowed to be released. However, this decision did not contain the expansion effect brought about by "Order 6". The pulp and film plastic industry alone has grown from dozens of companies to more than 300 companies, with an annual production capacity of 3 billion pieces, and its production scale The potential is already able to compete with EPS lunch boxes. In addition to the four "brothers" of light-biodegradable plastic tableware, plant fiber tableware, starch tableware, and cardboard tableware, its production scale has far exceeded that of disposable foam. The scale of plastic production.
The promulgation of the policy is only the beginning, and the real war is yet to come. For now, the disposable tableware market has entered the Warring States Period, and the five brothers have begun gearing up.
Cost price determines the scope of the market
In the communication with the delegates, knowing the cost of the product has become the key to whether the product can be sold. Under the current dual-track system, the foamed plastic lunch box has an absolute advantage in price due to its low cost and only sells for 0.08 yuan each, and the quality is excellent, so it still has a place, especially in the fast food industry. It is foamed plastic products, accounting for about one-third of the entire market. In the railway sector, which uses a huge amount of single-purpose lunch boxes, the railway department emphasizes the use of paper instead of plastic for lunch boxes, which stimulates the use of pulp molded lunch boxes. Demand. But this is not the unified sphere of influence of the paper-molded lunch box. The photo-biodegradable polypropylene plastic lunch box that competes with it is still popular on railway passenger trains because of its relatively low price. In the air passenger transport industry, due to The high value-added characteristics of the industry itself require high-quality disposable lunch boxes, which makes cardboard-type tableware with an advantage in material popularity. It seems that if the pulp molded lunch box is to gain a foothold in the market and remain invincible, it also needs to reduce costs.
So, where is the most practical to subtract from? Relevant experts pointed out that the cost composition of molded pulp lunch boxes is nothing more than three aspects: one is machinery and equipment; the other is additives used in manufacturing; and the third is enterprise management. In these three links, the excessive cost of mechanical equipment is one of the reasons leading to higher prices of molded pulp products; secondly, the excessive cost of additives. It is said that the additives developed by Dalian Oasis Group can be 70% lower than imported additives without affecting the quality of lunch boxes. If this is the case, the cost will be greatly reduced. But for now, it is difficult for companies to do this. Therefore, there is a phenomenon that companies are competing to lower prices at all costs in order to compete for market share.
There is a metaphor that can explain the problem: if we separate the machinery manufacturing companies from the product companies and input 500cc of blood separately, after two years of development, the machinery manufacturing companies will not only have a small number of surpluses, but the product companies will only be left. It's 100cc! An entrepreneur from Wuhan told reporters: "Since the establishment of the factory in 1996, we have been in a state of loss and half loss, in order to compete for market share after the foamed plastic lunch box goes out of the market at the end of the year. The largest share of the country. If the country’s industrial policy cannot be fully implemented by then, we will be miserable!"
Environmentally friendly products are not perfect
At the seminar of the exhibition, a speech by Mr. Li, a special consultant of Dalian Oasis Food Packaging Co., Ltd., on "Say a Few Words for the "Short" of Paper Moulded Fast Food Containers" caught the attention of the reporter. Among the two major categories of five types of alternative varieties, which one is more environmentally friendly and more competitive?
Looking through the relevant information, the reporter found that: from the perspective of the environmental impact of the whole process of product production and use, as far as paper tableware and plastic tableware (other types are currently not large-scale), the production of raw materials for both will have an impact on the environment. A large amount of pollution: The former is manifested in that pulp molding uses pulp board as raw material, and papermaking itself brings a lot of pollution; the latter is manifested in the large amount of pollution emissions from the virgin plastic industry and the complex composition of pollutants. Although the two account for a small proportion of the output of the paper and plastic industries, they are also a problem that cannot be ignored. The current approach can only be to implement the "three simultaneous" for the three waste pollution control, to reform the old pollution within a time limit, and to shut down and suspend production if it does not meet the standards.
How to deal with disposable tableware so as to be pollution-free? In addition to innovation in materials, efforts should also be made in recycling.
From the current two categories and five types of substitutes, recycling is still urgent. If a strict recycling system can be effectively implemented, recycling will also produce huge economic benefits.
Take the pulp molded lunch box, because the material is reed, bagasse, wheat straw, and the corresponding additives are added, it can be made into tableware after copying, with various properties; it is not foamed plastic material, which can be made after recycling Low-grade plastic utensils, especially CT tableware has the characteristics of high strength, high temperature resistance, easy to recycle, and can be made into office desks, chairs, building decoration materials; plant fibers and starches have advantages, and the products can be used as feed after use It can also be used as an auxiliary fuel. If it is not recycled, it can be degraded into fertilizer in the natural environment, so that the soil can be turned into fertilizer. In this way, the "white pollution" problem that has plagued us for a long time is eliminated, and certain economic benefits can be obtained, and at the same time, it can cure both the symptoms and the root causes.
