Fu Xiangsheng: What is forbidden? When is the plastic limit?

On January 19, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecological Environment issued the Opinions on Further Strengthening the Treatment of Plastic Pollution; On July 10, the National Development and Reform Commission and other nine departments jointly issued the Notice on Solid Promotion of Plastic Pollution Control; On September 11, 10 ministries and commissions, including the National Development and Reform Commission, jointly held a national teleconference on plastic pollution control. Since this year, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Commerce, the State Administration of Market Supervision, the State Post Office and other departments have issued relevant requirements on film, business, express packaging, postal services and other aspects. All provinces and cities have taken active action on plastic pollution control and governance. On the whole, there are clear requirements: orderly prohibit and restrict the production, sales and use of some plastic products, actively promote alternative products, standardize the recycling of plastic waste, establish and improve the management system for the production, circulation, use, recycling and disposal of plastic products, and effectively control plastic pollution. For a time, plastic ban and plastic restriction became the key words that people were searching for and discussing. Some people even simply understood the literal "literal translation" as "plastic will be prohibited in the future!" What is forbidden by the plastic prohibition order? What is the plastic restriction order?

It has been a hundred years since the invention of phenolic resin and the opening of a new era of synthetic materials at the beginning of the last century. Over the past 100 years, industrialization and modernization have developed rapidly. In the past 40 years, information technology has been rapidly popularized. The average life span of human beings has been greatly extended, and the living standard and quality have been greatly improved, all of which are inseparable from the important contributions of synthetic materials.
Simple example: without synthetic materials and their display materials, mobile phones, iPads, laptops and ultra-thin TVs would not be what they are today; Without synthetic materials and high-end composite materials, space walk and lunar exploration cannot be realized, and Airbus A380 and Boeing Dream 787 cannot successfully carry passengers.
Today, synthetic rubber has played an important role in the rapid popularization of automobiles and many sealing fields. Synthetic fiber has made an important contribution to the clothing of 7 billion people and the needs of high-end composite materials. Synthetic resin has played an important role in ensuring the lightweight of automobiles, the large-scale of passenger aircraft, electronic information and human exploration of space. It can be seen that no matter the daily life of human beings, or high-end manufacturing, strategic emerging industries, aerospace, national defense and military industry, it is impossible to leave synthetic materials and their composites.
Since the large-scale industrial production and application of synthetic materials in the 1950s, only plastics (synthetic resins and their modified materials) have produced about 8.3 billion tons in the world. According to the statistics of the World Bank, at present, the global annual plastic output exceeds 400 million tons, and the annual plastic waste generated exceeds 240 million tons. Due to improper use and treatment, the problem of plastic pollution is becoming increasingly prominent. Since the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the Opinions on Further Strengthening the Treatment of Plastic Pollution at the beginning of this year, all departments, provinces, relevant units and the whole society have taken active actions, some busy with interpretation, some busy with preparation, and some busy with supervision. First, let's take a look at the requirements of the Opinions on plastic pollution control? What should be forbidden? When will the "limit" come?
The guiding ideology of the general requirements clearly states that: firmly establish the new development concept, orderly prohibit and restrict the production, sales and use of some plastic products, actively promote alternative products, standardize the recycling of plastic waste, establish and improve the management system for the production, circulation, use, recycling and disposal of plastic products, effectively and orderly control plastic pollution, and strive to build a beautiful China. The basic principles are clear: guided by recyclability, easy recycling and degradability, research, develop and promote plastic products and alternative products that meet performance standards, are green, environmentally friendly, and economically applicable, and cultivate new business models that are conducive to standardized recycling and recycling, and reduce plastic pollution.
The main goal is to take the lead in prohibiting and restricting the production, sale and use of some plastic products in some regions and fields by 2020. By 2022, the consumption of disposable plastic products will be significantly reduced, alternative products will be promoted, and the proportion of recycling and energy utilization of plastic waste will be greatly increased; In the areas with prominent plastic pollution problems and emerging areas such as e-commerce, express delivery and takeout, a number of replicable and promotable plastic reduction and green logistics models have been formed. By 2025, the management system for production, circulation, consumption, recycling and disposal of plastic products will be basically established, and plastic pollution will be effectively controlled.
Plastic products prohibited from production and sales: ultra-thin plastic shopping bags with a thickness of less than 0.025 mm, and PE agricultural film with a thickness of less than 0.01 mm. It is prohibited to manufacture plastic products with medical wastes as raw materials. The import of waste plastics is prohibited. By the end of 2020, it is prohibited to produce and sell disposable foamed plastics and disposable plastic cotton swabs; It is prohibited to produce daily chemical products containing plastic beads. By the end of 2022, the sale of daily chemical products containing plastic beads will be prohibited.
Prohibited and restricted plastic products: First, non degradable plastic bags. By the end of 2020, the use of non degradable plastic bags will be prohibited in shopping malls, supermarkets, pharmacies, bookstores and other stores, catering packaging and delivery services and various exhibition activities in the built-up areas of municipalities directly under the Central Government, provincial capitals and cities specifically designated in the state plan, and the use of non degradable plastic bags will be standardized and restricted in the market; By the end of 2022, it will be expanded to all built-up areas of cities above prefecture level and coastal counties. By the end of 2025, the use of non degradable plastic bags will be prohibited in the fairs in the above regions.
Second, disposable plastic tableware. By the end of 2020, the use of non degradable disposable plastic straw will be prohibited in the catering industry nationwide; The use of non degradable disposable plastic tableware is prohibited for catering services in the built up areas and scenic spots of cities above prefecture level. By the end of 2022, the use of non degradable disposable tableware will be prohibited for catering services in the built up areas and scenic spots of the county. By 2025, the consumption intensity of non degradable plastic tableware in the catering takeout field in cities above prefecture level will drop by 30%.
Third, disposable plastic products in hotels. By the end of 2022, star rated hotels, hotels and other places across the country will no longer actively provide disposable plastic supplies, and by the end of 2025, it will be expanded to all hotels, hotels and home stays.
Fourth, express plastic packaging. By the end of 2022, postal express outlets in Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and other provinces and cities will first ban the use of non degradable plastic packaging bags, disposable plastic woven bags, and reduce the use of non degradable plastic bags. By the end of 2025, postal express outlets nationwide will be prohibited from using non degradable plastic packaging bags, plastic plastic bags, disposable plastic woven bags, etc.

Synthetic materials have become important supporting materials for national economic development and manufacturing power. Not only people's daily life is inseparable, but also high-end manufacturing, strategic emerging industries, aerospace, national defense and military industries are inseparable. With the rapid development of China's petrochemical industry and the continuous optimization of industrial structure, China has been a major producer and consumer of plastics in recent years.
However, the improper production, use and recycling of synthetic materials have caused environmental pollution and other problems, which has attracted extensive attention and high attention from the world and all sectors of society. Developed countries and developed economies have successively introduced policies to promote the recycling of waste plastics and limit the consumption of disposable non degradable plastics. All major countries are taking solutions, studying and formulating solutions. It is believed that in the near future, with the change of people's concept, the improvement of consciousness and the progress of technology, the problem of plastic pollution will be properly solved.

The international community is working together to solve the problem of plastic waste pollution.In order to deal with the increasingly serious problem of plastic waste, 20 multinational companies, including BASF, Dow, ExxonMobil, SABIC and Shell, launched the End of Plastic Waste Alliance (AEPW) at the beginning of 2019. Based on the principle of "promoting systematic change in the field of plastic management through cross value chain cooperation", the members of the Alliance shared engineering, material science, logistics, digital technology, product design With advanced knowledge and experience in consumer behavior and other fields, it is planned to develop advanced recycling technology in developed countries in Europe and North America to replace the existing garbage disposal methods such as landfill and incineration, and focus on improving product design and promoting the use of recycled products, giving full play to the value of recycled plastics, changing consumer behavior, and creating a new model of circular economy in the plastic industry. At present, the number of AEPW member enterprises has increased to 50. The initial goal is to raise $1.5 billion in five years, and $1 billion has been implemented in the second year. From plastic manufacturers, processors and packers to product production and recycling, the whole industry chain has taken active action.
In recent years, the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation has attached great importance to cooperation and exchanges with international organizations in plastic pollution control and treatment. It has jointly held meetings and thematic forums with the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Plastics Council, the European, American and Japanese Chemical Councils and other national chemical councils. There are many exchanges and interactions every year, regularly or irregularly. The World Plastics Council meetings are held in Yuyao, Shanghai and other places, Discusses how to solve the problem of plastic pollution faced by human beings; We also carried out good cooperation with AEPW, discussing and promoting Chinese enterprises to join the alliance and jointly control plastic pollution.
China is not the country that produces the most plastic wastes. In November 2015, I went to Dubai to participate in the World Plastics Council meeting. One of the links was to study the problem of plastic marine pollution. At that meeting, representatives of several countries talked about a problem "China is the country that produces the most plastic waste, and also the country that causes the most serious pollution to the sea". I was surprised at the data! Later, in some international conferences and foreign exchanges, I would ask: "How did this group of data come from? Where did it come from?" Most people's answers were found in relevant journals.
Two years ago, I once again attended the relevant meetings of the World Plastics Council held in Shanghai, and someone mentioned this point again. During the discussion and communication, I asked again: "How did this group of data come from?" A member of the Council told me: "This is based on the length of a country's coastline and population density."
Until recently, I saw a comprehensive report in the Global Times, with the title "The United States makes the most plastic waste in the world". The main content was an excerpt of the research report published in the latest issue of the American magazine Progress in Science. This report was jointly written by scholars from the American Ocean Education Association, the University of Georgia, the National Geographic Association of the United States and other institutions. It clearly pointed out that "the United States is the world's largest producer of plastic waste" and "the practice of the United States exporting plastic waste to developing countries conceals the major contribution of the United States to the plastic pollution crisis".
The Comprehensive Assessment Study on the Global Plastic Waste Issue released in 2015 claimed that China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand were the five largest producers of plastic waste, and the United States ranked 20th. The latest report pointed out that the study in 2015 ignored whether there was poor management of waste exported to another country for recycling.
The latest report released by Progress in Science is based on the waste generation and its characteristics data of 217 countries and regions reported by the World Bank. It clearly points out that the United States produced the largest amount of plastic waste (up to 42 million tons) and the largest amount of plastic waste per capita (130 kg) in 2016 among all countries; The average annual plastic waste output per capita of the 28 EU countries ranked second, 54.56kg, only half of that of the United States; The third is India; The fourth place is China, which produces 21.6 million tons of plastic waste, half of the total amount of the United States, but the per capita amount is only 12% of the United States, 15.67 kg.
Controlling plastic pollution has become a consensus and unified action. As of November, 30 provinces, autonomous regions and cities across the country have issued plastic ban (restriction) orders. Since December 1, Hainan has fully implemented the Catalogue of Prohibitions on the Production, Sales and Use of Disposable Non degradable Plastic Products (the first batch), and subdivided the disposable non degradable plastic bags and tableware into 10 sub categories, including disposable films, bags and tableware containing PE, PP, PS, PVC, EVA, PET and other non biodegradable polymer materials. Among them, bags include shopping bags, daily plastic bags, paper plastic composite bags and other commodity packages, and plastic bags for containing garbage. Tableware includes lunch boxes, bowls, drink cups, dishes, plates, etc. including covers.
As an industry organization, the Petrochemical Federation has established a plastic recycling research group, which cooperates closely with professional organizations such as China Synthetic Resin Association, China Circular Economy Association, Plastics Recycling Branch, New Chemical Materials Special Committee, Degraded Plastics Special Committee, and attaches great importance to scientific management and pollution control in the production, sales, packaging, recycling and reuse of synthetic materials.
In addition, the Federation of Petrochemical Industry, China Light Industry Federation, China Plastics Processing Industry Association and China Packaging Federation jointly issued the Joint Proposal on Jointly Achieving Sustainable Development of Plastics in August, calling on the whole society to jointly promote the pollution prevention and control of plastics in the whole industrial chain links such as raw material production, processing, sales and use, so as to create a recyclable, recyclable A new way of green development in the whole life cycle of degradation.
At present, Sinopec, PetroChina, Yantai Wanhua, Zhejiang Huafeng and many other raw material manufacturers and plastic products enterprises have taken active actions to prevent and control pollution from production, sales and use.
The whole society is also actively promoting garbage classification to create conditions for the recycling of waste plastics. According to the latest statistics of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development, significant progress has been made in the classification of domestic waste in China. The classification of domestic waste in 46 key cities covers more than 77 million families, and the coverage of residential areas is 86.6%.
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Innovation is the key to solving plastic pollution
Solving the pollution of plastic waste is a common problem facing the whole world and has become a global challenge. As a major producer and user of plastics, China is taking active actions to deal with and solve the problem of plastic pollution.
According to the statistics of the Recycled Plastics Branch of the China Material Recycling Association, more than 90% of the plastic waste generated each year in China has been properly disposed. Last year, 30% of the waste plastic was recycled (according to statistics, the recycling rate of waste plastic in the European Union was about 33%, that in Japan was 28%, and that in the United States was only 10%), 31% of the waste plastic was incinerated, 32% of the waste plastic was landfilled, and about 7% of the waste plastic was abandoned. Waste plastics are mainly agricultural mulch, disposable shopping bags and express packaging materials. In terms of agricultural film, the China Rural Statistical Yearbook shows that the amount of agricultural film used is about 1.4 million tons, the top three is about 220000 tons in Xinjiang, and more than 100000 tons in Shandong and Gansu. There are also statistics that the recovery rate of a large number of ultra-thin mulch films is less than 2/3. The recycling and recycling of polyester bottles is the best in China. According to the statistics of relevant units, more than 94% of polyester bottles can be recycled.

Innovation is the key to solving the problem of plastic pollution.Some people say that classification is the key, others say that recycling and recycling are the key, and innovation is the key, which is reasonable. I believe that classification is the premise and key of recycling, and innovation is the key to fundamentally solve the problem of plastic pollution. Therefore, at present, many enterprises, research institutions and scientific and technological workers at home and abroad are working hard on the solutions, methods and innovation of technology and equipment to solve plastic pollution. In terms of schemes and methods, efforts have been made to reduce landfill and incineration, and efforts have been made to recycle. Is it a physical cycle or a chemical cycle? Serious research, demonstration and in-depth tests are being carried out at home and abroad.
The physical cycle is relatively mature and feasible at present. Some recycled waste plastics are classified and cleaned, and PP based ones are modified and processed into car bumpers, lights, exterior skirt boards, foot pedals and interior materials, while PE based ones are made into wood plastic desks and chairs, plastic bags or other handicrafts. ABS based ones can be made into car bumpers, lights, keyboards, printer shells, etc., while PS based ones can be reused for TV sets Printer backplane, shell, etc.

The problem of waste plastics recycling is classification. Last May, I participated in the Chengdu Engineering Forum of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and got a harvest: Academician Qu Jinping innovatively solved the problem of recycling and classification of waste plastics. He has developed a new method and complete set of equipment for green and efficient remanufacturing of polymer materials, which has solved the problems of large quantities of waste plastics, miscellaneous varieties, difficult recycling and cumbersome treatment. With the developed complete set of equipment, the waste plastics are free of sorting, alloying and high-quality green reuse. Another achievement is that the innovation of Academician Chen Xuegeng of Shihezi University can solve the problem of white pollution of plastic film. The new technology developed by him for the treatment of plastic film residue pollution combines agricultural machinery, agronomy and agricultural film organically to create a joint operation machine for straw crushing and returning to the field and film residue recovery, which makes the recovery rate of surface film residue exceed 90% and that of plough film residue reach 60%. It solves the technical and equipment problems for eliminating film residue pollution.

Chemical recycling is the focus of innovation at home and abroad.Many units are studying the pyrolysis of waste plastics to produce diesel or gasoline, and some convert purified PP into renewable energy products such as oil, standard base oil, combustible gas, carbon powder, etc. Huntsman breaks down the polyester bottle into monomers after cleaning, which are recycled for the production of polyester polyols. 60% of the components of one product (Taloyou) are recycled PET plastics, and the plant in Asia was put into operation in May this year. Its polyester polyol production capacity is 22000 tons/year, which is equivalent to the recycling of 440 million 500 ml PET bottles, and can produce 70000 tons of polyurethane products annually.

It is reported that American researchers use low-temperature catalysis to convert many waste plastics into monomers and then use them as basic raw materials for industrial chemicals and consumer goods, mainly for the production of solvents, paints, lubricants, cleaning agents, etc. A research group of Nanjing Normal University has developed a new technology for the efficient degradation of waste polyester induced by poly acid. The monomer obtained can be used to produce new carbonate materials with the characteristics of high efficiency, low cost, low energy consumption, etc. Costron, Coca Cola and other companies are also recycling waste plastics. The "Hacker Pine" competition we held in Shanghai last year and the data bags, guest cards (belts) and T-shirts used at the innovation finals of Shanghai Chemical Industry Park last year are all made of recycled PET bottles, which are very beautiful and beautiful.

In order to solve the problem of plastic pollution, especially after the release of the plastic prohibition (restriction) that prohibits or restricts the use of disposable non degradable materials, the industrialization process of degradable materials is rapidly heating up. What is degradable material? It refers to the macromolecular materials that can be degraded into small inorganic molecules such as carbon dioxide and water by microorganisms or their secretions in enzymatic or chemical decomposition under certain time, temperature and humidity conditions. According to the source of raw materials, degradable materials can be divided into petrochemical based degradable materials and biological based degradable materials. Petrochemical based degradable materials are petrochemical based biodegradable materials synthesized from petrochemical resources, such as polybutylene succinate (PBS), modified polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), modified aromatic polyester (PBAT), polyglycolic acid (PGA), etc. Biobased degradable materials are degradable materials, such as polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), etc., which are synthesized by fermentation or chemical method using grains, straws, wood wastes, etc. as raw materials.
When it comes to biodegradable bio based materials, some people may ask, "Are bio based materials biodegradable?" The answer is no. The simplest case is the fermentation of grain starch or straw waste to obtain ethanol, dehydration of ethanol to obtain ethylene, and ethylene polymerization to obtain polyethylene. The polyethylene is a biological polymer from the source of raw materials, but it is not biodegradable.

Biobased and degradable materials are the focus of global attention and research in recent years.The United States, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Brazil and other developed countries and regions rich in biomass resources attach great importance to and accelerate the research, development, industrialization and application of bio based materials. The biological 1,3-propanediol developed by DuPont has built a production plant in Tennessee, and its products have been used to produce PTT polyester staple fiber, which has been applied in clothing, residential flooring, sporting goods and other aspects. It is expected that the output will be further expanded in the future. Another bio based material that DuPont is developing is methyl furan dicarboxylic acid, which is a kind of cooperation with ADM. It is made of fructose, which is not only easier to obtain than petrochemical process, but also has better barrier performance as a substitute for PET. DSM and a French company jointly developed biological succinic acid, which has been in operation since 2014, as well as biological based long carbon chain nylon from DSM, Arcoma, Evonik and other companies. When I led the team to visit Mitsubishi Chemical, I saw that the bio based polycarbonate engineering plastics developed by them successfully replaced bisphenol A with isosorbitol. Its transparency, optical performance, high abrasion resistance and impact resistance are better than bisphenol A polycarbonate. It has been made into a panoramic sunroof for cars. In the future, it will be used not only for cars and energy, but also for optics, electronic instruments, decoration, etc. Mitsubishi Chemical's degradable food packaging film has a 6-layer structure and has a long shelf life. It can be used for packaging dairy products like high-grade paper or wine like glass bottles.

Polyacrylamide is the first bio polymer material to be industrialized in China. With the achievements of the national scientific and technological breakthrough and the research and development led by Academician Shen Yinchu, it was first industrialized in Shengli Oilfield, Beijing and other places. It has more advantages and competitive advantages than the original chemical method, and has been widely used in the tertiary oil recovery and water treatment industries. Later, the new acrylamide and polyacrylamide are mainly biological methods. Changchun Institute of Chemistry, Institute of Process, Institute of Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Sciences, Chengdu Institute of Organic Sciences, Nanjing University of Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Nankai University and other institutions have made many achievements in biochemistry and bio based materials. In recent years, China and the world have made rapid progress in biotechnology, and biodegradable materials have also made significant progress. The polylactic acid of Haizheng Biochemical and nylon 56 of Cassay Technology I investigated have been industrialized. Anhui Fengyuan, Shandong Golden Maize and other companies are planning to build polylactic acid production plants.

Biobased materials, especially biodegradable materials, will not completely replace existing synthetic materials.Biobased materials have always been the focus of global innovation and R&D, and also the focus of high attention. In particular, the theory of oil depletion and the massive use of fossil resources have caused increasingly serious environmental pollution and impact. The manufacture of chemicals and bio based materials from renewable resources has always been the focus of attention in the chemical industry and academia. In recent years, since climate change, plastic pollution, especially marine pollution, have attracted global attention and become the focus, the attention, innovation and industrialization of biodegradable materials are accelerating. After China issued the plastic prohibition (restriction) order, the degradable materials rapidly rose. At one time, PLA, PBAT, PPC, PHA, PGA and other products were comprehensively distributed. The expansion and proposed capacity were rapidly expanded. The degradable materials symposiums, seminars, demonstration meetings, investment seminars and other meetings kept rising. This phenomenon can not help but cause us to think deeply. It is undeniable that degradable materials will play an important role in the process of plastic prohibition and plastic restriction and in dealing with the pollution of traditional non degradable plastics. It is also certain that they will replace some traditional non degradable materials, but which varieties can replace them? Which application fields can be replaced? What is the market demand? These problems still need scientific demonstration, careful thinking and calm judgment.

One is the performance of degradable materials.Compared with traditional synthetic materials, its use performance and processing performance are very different, even different.

Second, there is still much to be innovated in technology.On the one hand, it is production technology. For example, many units are planning to build PLA production plants, but few can master the core technology of key monomer lactide. On the other hand, the processing technology and modification technology of new degradable materials also need more R&D and innovation. At present, the temperature resistance, processability, toughness and rigidity of most degradable materials are obviously different from those of traditional synthetic materials, especially engineering plastics and special fibers.

Third, cost is also a factor restricting market demand.At present, the manufacturing cost of most degradable materials is higher than that of traditional non degradable materials. Biobased and degradable materials replace traditional synthetic materials in a large area and a large amount, which is unrealistic in terms of economy in the short term.

Fourth, the restriction of raw materials is also a problem that cannot be ignored.Biobased materials and biodegradable materials are mostly made of renewable biomass resources. As far as the current technological maturity is concerned, cassava and sugarcane can be used as raw materials. However, the current production enterprises in China mainly use grain starch as raw materials. Polylactic acid is the most typical. In terms of the current estimated market demand of 23 million tons, the problem of raw materials is not serious. However, if the proposed scale is more than 30 million tons, the food needs to be more than 100 million tons. The communiqu é of the Fifth Plenary Session of the CPC Central Committee stated that China's "annual grain output has been stable at more than 1.3 trillion jin for five consecutive years", that is, 650 million tons. If only 1/6.5 of PLA is consumed, will it bring about the problem of competing with people for food? What's more, at present, our country has hundreds of millions of tons of grain imported every year (of course, this is mainly soybean), which is a practical problem that cannot be ignored, and also a problem that we must face. Because the promotion of ethanol fuel has embarrassed us once. It was originally intended to cover the whole country with ethanol fuel, but the amount of fuel ethanol is less than ten million tons every year, which is difficult to achieve full coverage. This year, Sinopec made it clear that due to the serious shortage of ethanol supply, it will reduce the sales of E10 gasoline in the east; In addition, the number of pigs raised this year has soared, the demand for animal feed has soared, and the price of corn has kept rising, resulting in the price of ethanol per ton being more than 1000 yuan higher than gasoline. What will happen if our bio based materials and degradable materials are rapidly expanded again.
Since its invention, plastics and synthetic materials have played an important role and made important contributions to modern civilization, industrial revolution and scientific and technological revolution. Improper production and use have also affected the ecological environment. However, economic development, social and cultural progress, and the deepening of the fourth industrial revolution are inseparable from plastics and synthetic materials. The release, implementation and action of the plastic prohibition or restriction order must be accurately recognized as prohibiting or restricting the use or substitution of materials that are harmful to the ecological environment.
The main purpose of the content shared today is to first have an accurate understanding of plastic ban or plastic restriction, and to jointly take actions and measures to control, terminate and eliminate plastic pollution in the process of dealing with plastic ban and plastic restriction. These contents and thoughts also hope that degradable materials, a new field that is increasingly concerned and valued, can develop healthily and sustainably, and at the same time make positive contributions to the termination and elimination of plastic pollution, and make new and greater contributions to the high-quality development of the petrochemical industry and the national economy.

This paper is the keynote report made by Vice President Fu Xiangsheng at the 2020 degradable materials industry development and investment and financing summit and the annual meeting of China Chemical News Industrial Financial Think Tank held in Suqian, Jiangsu Province on December 16.