On September 14th, the "China-Denmark Sustainable Packaging Industry Chain Seminar" was successfully held at the Peace Hotel in Shanghai. Supported by the Danish Ministry of the Environment, the event was jointly organized by China Packaging Federation, the Consulate General of Denmark in Shanghai, and Innovation Centre Denmark Shanghai.

Mr. Han Xueshan, Vice President and Executive Secretary-General of the China Packaging Federation, Mr. Thomas Østrup Møller, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to China, Ms. Dung Nguyen, Consul General of the Kingdom of Denmark in Shanghai, Mr. Martin Rune Hoxer, Executive Director of the Innovation Centre Denmark Shanghai, Mr. Fang Jiansheng, Senior Vice President of Alibaba Local Services Group, Ms. Fang Ying, Deputy General Manager of Cooperation and Development Department of Alibaba Local Services Group, Ms. Zhao Jing, Market Operations Expert of Alibaba Local Services Group, Mr. She Xin, President of Amcor Greater China, Ms. Eva Xu, Managing Director of Techsun Group, Ms. Yan Yinfeng, President of Yinjinda Group, Mr. Zhu Guoyang, CEO of Zhengkai Group, Mr. Howard Ma, Vice President of Yuto Eco, Mr. Zhou Wenwen, General Manager of Aliyun Energy Consumption Cloud, and other corporate decision-makers attended the seminar, along with Ms. Zhu Jing, Deputy Secretary-General of China Packaging Federation, Ms. Zhang Yanni, Deputy Director of the International Department, and Mr. Zhou Xingyu.

 

 

 

In his address, Mr. Han Xueshan, Vice President and Executive Secretary-General of the China Packaging Federation, expressed that today's seminar holds profound significance and lays a solid foundation for environmental cooperation between China and Denmark in the packaging field. Denmark has many outstanding enterprises that are partners of the China Packaging Federation. It is hoped that in the future, through the cooperation platform jointly built by both sides, more innovative circular packaging solutions can be promoted and demonstration pilot projects can be more deeply implemented.

 

Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark, Mr. Thomas Østrup Møller, expressed in his speech that environmental protection is a global challenge, and he is pleased to see China and Denmark coming together to address environmental issues. Denmark recognizes the environmental methods and concepts adopted by China, be it by the government, companies, or individuals, and hopes that through this meeting and bilateral exchanges, both sides can initiate deep cooperation.

 

 

The seminar aimed to listen to the voices of enterprises and invited outstanding industry representatives to speak freely in a roundtable format. Danish enterprise representatives participated online, while Chinese enterprise representatives participated offline.

Mr. Henrik Bjørnager Jensen, Chief Operating Officer of the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (CLEAN), presented the "CLEAN and Circular Food Packaging Economic Report" online. He stated that CLEAN represents Denmark's environmental cluster and hopes to become a leader in global environmental protection.

 

 

Arla, a Danish dairy industry, and Prounit Frames, a packaging company, shared their cases. Lise Berg Kildemark, Sustainable Packaging Manager of Arla, stated that while ensuring a reduced carbon footprint, we must also ensure economic viability and reduce the use of plastics by adopting alternative materials. The use of fiber solutions can ensure both environmental sustainability and food safety.

Chinese enterprise representatives also shared cases from the perspective of local brand demands.

China and Denmark have long cooperated in the field of sustainable development. In 2022, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (CLEAN), in collaboration with the Innovation Centre Denmark Shanghai, Trade Council, and Alibaba Group Local Services, released guidelines specifically for sustainable packaging.

Mr. Zhou Wenwen, General Manager of Aliyun Energy Consumption Cloud, delivered a presentation titled "Exploring Sustainable Development Driven by Digital Innovation." Aliyun has established a "Global Carbon Map" and has successful cases of "carbon traceability" in packaging recycling, packaging treatment for international events (such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games), carbon reduction in esports events, and transforming discarded water barrels into stationery. Zhou Wenwen proposed the establishment of a global carbon emission map for the packaging industry.

 

As a pioneer among Chinese domestic packaging companies and an explorer of sustainable packaging, Mr. Howard Ma, Vice President of Yuto Eco, shared his experiences under the theme "Packaging Innovation: Driving Sustainable Development with New Creativity and Technologies." He stated that although pricing, supply chain, users’ experience, and product limitations are the major challenges faced by the industry, packaging companies are willing to actively shoulder the social responsibility of managing packaging waste.

 

 

As early as 2021, the China Packaging Federation, in collaboration with Alibaba Local Life and the Consulate General of Denmark in Shanghai, organized the "China-Denmark" Sustainable Development Forum, sharing Danish cases and key technologies for sustainable development governance and discussing the development path of sustainable packaging in China. This seminar is an extension of the bilateral cooperation in 2021. Exploring how to provide a better international exchange platform for enterprises is also an important exploration of the international work of the China Packaging Federation.

 

  
Ms. Fang Ying, Deputy General Manager of Cooperation and Development Department at Alibaba Local Services Group, is an important expert in many environmental works of the China Packaging Federation. She served as the host in various capacities. Mr. She Xin, President of Amcor Greater China, an industry-leading enterprise in flexible packaging, Ms. Eva Xu, Managing Director of Techsun, a representative of excellent private enterprises, and Mr. Martin Rune Hoxer, Executive Director of the Innovation Centre Denmark Shanghai, served as guests, discussing the work that can be carried out on the Sino-Danish exchange platform from different perspectives. They focused on three areas: the current status of the industry, innovation and breakthroughs in challenges, and predictions for the future development of the industry, exploring how to balance green sustainability with economic growth.

 

 

Mr. She Xin mentioned that leading companies in the industry should take the lead in green packaging, which can lead the entire industry to develop comprehensively. Many products are recyclable, but they are not actually recycled. The recyclable system can be established. Each enterprise acting independently has low efficiency. If enterprises can be gathered together to jointly develop new environmentally friendly products, the industry's environmental efficiency can progress faster.

 

 

Ms. Eva Xu believes that the drive of industry-leading enterprises in the industrial chain is meaningful for the industry's benign and closed-loop development. More incentivizing policies from the government can accelerate the pace of sustainable development. As a representative of private enterprises, Ms. Eva Xu is interested in how Denmark can empower enterprises with technology so that small and medium-sized enterprises can have the same production capacity as large enterprises.

 

 

Mr. Martin Rune Hoxer proposed that green packaging needs a change in mindset and the establishment of high standards. This has been explored and gained some experience over many years in Denmark. Denmark is willing to share its experiences with China and grow together. Martin gave an example that although 98% of companies in Denmark are small and medium-sized enterprises, the largest enterprise in Europe is a Danish company. They have many innovative concepts that are surprising. For example, the concept of reuse, turning waste into furniture.

The roundtable discussion was very exciting, with participants sharing their views from the host to the guests, from the internal development of the industry to the opportunities of sustainable development. Everyone presented unique insights into the "changes" and "constants" in the industry's development over the next three to five years, bringing a rich visual feast to the attending enterprises.

 

 

President Mr. Xi Jinping emphasized in his video speech at the Global Services Trade Summit of the 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services, "Sharing the historic opportunities for the development of global services trade together." Openness is the only way to achieve prosperity, and China is firmly committed to expanding high-level openness.

China Packaging Federation actively promotes international cooperation, escorting enterprises on the path to internationalization.

Please stay tuned for the China Packaging Federation's follow-up international updates and the upcoming 2023 China Packaging International Forum (Luzhou, Sichuan Province, November 10th, 2023, afternoon).