China Issues Mandatory Green Design Guidelines for Packaging and Printing Industry
BEIJING, April 17, 2026 – Five Chinese government departments, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), jointly released the "Guidelines for Green Design of Industrial Products (2026 Edition)" on April 17, placing the packaging and printing industry under strict mandatory supervision and aligning its standards with international green requirements.
As one of the 15 key industries highlighted in the guidelines, the packaging and printing sector must adhere to three core principles: harmlessness, mono-material design, and carbon neutrality. The guidelines, which took effect immediately, mandate the full switch from solvent-based to water-based gravure inks by the end of 2026 for food, pharmaceutical, and children’s contact packaging, with VOC emissions strictly limited to no more than 50mg/m³.
Key requirements also include mandatory mono-material structures for composite films (with easy-peel designs for non-homogeneous materials), minimum recycled material ratios (50% for paper packaging in 2026, rising to 70% in 2027; 30% for plastic packaging), and full carbon footprint (LCA) disclosure starting in 2027. All packaging must clearly display material type, recycled content, carbon footprint data, and recycling labels.
The guidelines are closely linked to China’s "Environmental Code," which will take effect on August 1, 2026, imposing legal liabilities for non-compliance. While small and medium-sized enterprises face renovation costs of 500,000 to 2 million yuan, non-compliance will result in the loss of domestic and export qualifications. This move is expected to accelerate industry restructuring, favor leading enterprises with green production capacity, and enhance China’s packaging industry’s international competitiveness by aligning with the EU’s Sustainable Products Regulation (SPPR).
