The first to be impacted are the disposable tableware we use daily, such as disposable coffee cups, beverage cups, and food containers. The plastic linings inside most of these products are either PE (polyethylene) coatings or difficult-to-recycle PLA (polylactic acid) coatings. Pseudo-environmental coatings are even a nightmare for the recycling system: they prevent the products from being recycled and repulped as waste paper, leaving incineration or landfilling as the only options. The new regulation clearly stipulates that any product hindering recycling will be phased out. Non-compliant enterprises not only face the risk of fines up to 100,000 yuan or even suspension of operations, but will also be recorded with permanent credit blemishes, which will affect their long-term development. The efficient path to compliance? Embracing truly "easily recyclable" technologies.

Currently, the widely recognized optimal solution in the EU and US markets is "paper-based materials + water-based barrier coatings." Paper cups made with mature water-based coating technology not only pass the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and China GB (National Standard) food contact certifications, but crucially, after use, they can be treated as ordinary waste paper—directly entering the recycling stream and easily repulped for reuse, achieving true closed-loop recycling.

In Shanghai, solutions are already within easy reach. The "Green and Low-Carbon Paper Cup Pioneer Alliance," guided by official organizations including the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, and Shanghai Foreign Investment Association, was established at the 2024 Shanghai International Carbon Neutrality Expo.

Co-founded by industry leaders such as Shanghai-based technology enterprise DBC (Dobettercity), chemical giant BASF, and paper-making giant APP (Asia Pulp & Paper), the alliance has developed the "EPP Water-Based Barrier Coating Technology" through industrial chain collaborative innovation. Focused on plastic reduction, carbon reduction, recyclability, and easy recyclability, this technology has undergone over a year of global market verification—and the EPP water-based barrier coating is indeed a mature alternative to PE coatings. Meanwhile, for water-based bio-based PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) coatings (which are both easily recyclable and degradable), Shanghai also strongly encourages responsible and capable chain brands to take the lead in adoption, jointly promoting the diversified development of green solutions.