Since January 1 this year, China officially banned the import of plastic waste. Many people are concerned about the impact of the Chinese ban on western countries. The media is also paying attention to the piles of garbage that are accumulated in garbage collection facilities in the United States and the United Kingdom. However, few people are concerned about domestic plastics. In the case of waste importers, the current state of survival of these companies is worth pondering.
Survival or death, how do foreign companies face the ban?
In July 2017, China formally notified the WTO that in order to strengthen environmental protection, China will formally ban the import of waste plastics on January 1, 2018. After the news was issued, people clapping and cheering to support the government’s decision. Decision. But this ban is no exception for the plastic waste import company.
Before June 2017, there were more than 1,000 businesses engaged in the use of waste plastics in the Qijiao Industrial Park and the Meilin Industrial Park in Xingtan Town, Guangdong Province. The waste plastics of these businesses came from all over the world, and were used in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Plastics can be seen here. After the ban was enacted, there were only a handful of merchants here, and many merchants’ imports of plastics were banned. By early 2018, all the importers of plastics in these two industrial parks had stopped production. The factory closed plant was vacant, and it was covered with 'plant rental'.
Not only is Xinglin Town, in Zhaogezhuang Town, Wen'an County, Hebei Province, Liuguanzhuang Town, Yi County, Shandong Province, and Xinqiao Town, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, businesses and family workshops in these areas are either affected by bans or reviewed by environmental protection agencies. Shut down or transfer from other industries.
The implementation of the ban has been for three months. What about the survival status of related companies? How do these enterprises face the ban?
For some small family workshops or small enterprises with a single source of raw materials, they are almost in a state of 'death.' Because these small enterprises and workshops have a single source of supply, and the domestic plastic recycling system is not perfect, they have no ability to open up new sources of supply. In the face of injunctions, they had to suspend production and close their doors. Those with strong and large scales have roughly the following directions.
Fully utilizing the recycling system of domestic plastic waste. According to a company in Suzhou, although the plastic recycling system in China is not perfect, the company has cooperated with some garbage recyclers in the Suzhou area to deepen the local plastic recycling system. The main source of plastics has been turned to the domestic. Even if the import of waste plastics is forbidden from abroad, the impact on the company has been minimal, and the plastic waste source in the domestic market can fully meet the company's raw material needs.
Transferring production plants to Southeast Asia or other regions. China's promulgation of the ban will inevitably lead to the flow of waste plastics to other countries. Among them, Southeast Asia is an important flow. Many manufacturers have chosen to relocate their factories to Southeast Asia. The above mentioned Guangdong apricots In Tartar Town, industrial parks still have inspirations for recruitment, but the factory has been relocated to a new workplace - Vietnam. Southeast Asian countries will not sit idly by when they face plastic waste, and the relocation of factories can only be a matter of urgency.
The plastic waste will be further processed at the source of imports and will enter China after meeting the national standards. China's ban on plastic waste is mainly due to the serious environmental pollution caused by plastic waste. The plastic waste will be imported into China after deep processing abroad and will not affect the domestic environment. Contamination can also avoid the relocation of factories. This method is a good choice for those companies with strong capabilities.