CCTV once again focuses on paper prices, with a surge of 70% in one year

Since the fourth quarter of last year, the frequency of paper price increases has been on the rise, with prices even rising twice within a week. The phenomenon of "paper becoming expensive" has been repeatedly observed. I believe that many colleagues' WeChat Moments have been flooded with one price increase notice after another. The rise in paper prices has garnered significant attention from the entire society, and CCTV-2 has even reported on it multiple times!

Just now, the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays have just ended, and the CCTV Economic Channel has set its sights on the paper packaging industry for the eighth time. Due to the rise in paper prices, the soaring cost of cardboard boxes has directly increased the operating costs of e-commerce businesses. Many netizens have roasted, "This year, not only do we have to fight for goods, we may also have to fight for delivery cardboard boxes."

E-commerce companies face "carton crisis" as demand surges by 70% in one year

After the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, Mr. Ma, a carton wholesaler, received two truckloads of goods early in the morning. Due to the recent consistent rise in carton prices, he was concerned that demand might increase after the holidays, potentially leading to a continued price increase. Therefore, he increased his inventory: "Due to the rise in raw materials, we need to stock up a bit every day. Prices have gone up several times this year."

Mr. Ma said that compared to the same period last year, the prices of various specifications of cardboard boxes have increased by less than 30%. Moreover, since the beginning of the year, there has been a shortage of supply, and cardboard box factories often postpone shipments. Mr. Ma also said, "Previously, orders would arrive within two days, but now sometimes it takes four or five days.". ”

Reporter: Is the supply of goods a bit tight now?

Mr. Ma: Hmm.

Reporter: Which kind of cardboard boxes are in short supply?

Mr. Ma: It's the same for all kinds of paper boxes.

The price of cardboard boxes has skyrocketed, with e-commerce businesses engaged in online transactions bearing the brunt of the impact. Tan Dongming, who runs a hardware trading business in Jingxi Street, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, revealed that the cost of an ordinary express delivery cardboard box has increased by at least 1 to 2 yuan: "Sometimes we ship 200 to 300 items, and even if the price increases by 20 cents each time, we lose tens of yuan."

The rise in cardboard box prices has not only increased the operational costs of e-commerce businesses but also significantly impacted manufacturers. Taking color boxes as an example, the price was 7 yuan per box last year, but now it has approached 12 yuan per box. Li Wenxiao, the head of an electric control door manufacturing company, stated, "When you ship something out, you definitely need to use cardboard boxes. Without them, many products would be damaged during transportation."

Reporter: Are there any substitutes?

Li Wenxiao: No, there's nothing we can do. This is just the way it is. The cardboard boxes are definitely special.

Is it feasible to recycle "hard-to-get" products?

The continuous rise in the price of cardboard boxes has once again drawn social attention to the issue of waste cardboard box utilization. Earlier, several express delivery companies in Guangdong Province announced their intention to introduce green packaging materials. So, how is the implementation going? Mr. Guo, who loves online shopping, purchased a lot of goods during the National Day holiday. After unpacking the packages, he "just threw them away."

Reporter: Won't you sell it for money or something?

Mr. Guo: No, how much can such a small one sell for?

Reporter: If they are large items, will they be kept for sale?

Mr. Guo: No, it takes up a lot of space.

Don't assume that discarded cardboard boxes are worthless. In fact, their price has already risen from 30 cents per jin to 80 to 90 cents per jin. A resident of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, said, "Many people who didn't pick up trash before are now doing so. Even pedestrians and passersby are picking up trash, and even us old people who collect trash are doing so."

Currently, the recycling methods for waste cardboard boxes are relatively limited. Generally, they are collected by waste recycling stations and then sent to cardboard box manufacturers, where they are processed into pulp to produce new cardboard boxes, which are then returned to the market. In order to conserve resources, well-known express delivery companies such as SF Express and STO Express have advocated the use of green packaging materials in Guangdong Province this year. However, after visiting multiple express delivery outlets, reporters found that couriers were clueless about green packaging materials.

Deliveryman: I don't know, I haven't seen it before.

Reporter: Haven't seen it?

Deliveryman: Yes, I don't know which one you're referring to.

A person in charge of a courier company stated, "E-commerce platforms and product manufacturers play a decisive role in the use of cardboard boxes. We believe that the crazily rising prices of cardboard boxes will increase the costs for many manufacturers, thereby reducing the use of excessively packaged goods and promoting the recycling of cardboard boxes."

Every year, about 1 billion express delivery cartons are generated in a single day. In 2017, the total amount of express delivery waste in China will reach 40 billion pieces. However, the recycling rate of traditional cartons in China is less than 20%. Prior to this, many places and logistics enterprises have tried recycling or secondary packaging methods, but ultimately, it was more talk than action.

Ultimately, it boils down to the long-awaited legislation and standards for the express delivery recycling industry. In fact, many countries have regulations regarding the recycling of express delivery packaging. For instance, the United States offers a certain amount of tax relief to companies that recycle packaging, while France shifts the responsibility to consumers, hoping that this carton crisis can turn into an opportunity for environmental protection.

Nowadays, our printing and packaging enterprises are facing numerous difficulties, with paper prices being the primary one. However, this is only a temporary predicament. As entrepreneurs, we should have a longer-term perspective and be far-sighted. Another pressing issue for enterprises is transformation and upgrading.