The Green Earth urges Hong Kong to align with mainland Chinese packaging limits after study estimates city generated 2.7 million kg of waste
A leading green group has urged Hong Kong to align with coming national standards on excessive packaging, warning that the city generated at least 2.7 million kg (5.9 million lbs) of waste from e-commerce parcels last year.
The call coincided with an online survey by non-profit group The Green Earth, which found that 60 per cent of respondents in Hong Kong considered parcel packaging excessive, while 76 per cent felt frustrated when handling the waste.
Steven Chan Wing-kit, assistant environmental affairs manager of the charity, said mainland China’s regulatory scope could only extend as far as consolidation warehouses across the border.
“The issue is left unmanaged once the goods leave the mainland,” he said.
A regulatory gap remains, as parcels sent or repackaged in Hong Kong are not subject to any rules.
“We suggest [the government] proactively collaborate with relevant mainland authorities and reduce packaging waste at the source,” Chan said, urging the e-commerce sector to promote reusable packaging.
From one average-sized shipping box, the group removed at least 20 metres of tape – equivalent to the height of a six-storey building – and five layers of plastic wrapping to reach an iPad cover bought for demonstration.
According to the group’s study, Hong Kong may have generated at least 2.7 million kg of paper and plastic packaging in 2025 from online shopping deliveries.
The estimate was based on publicly available disclosures of packaging intensity by three e-commerce giants commonly used by residents.
By multiplying sales volume by packaging intensity, the charity estimated each firm’s packaging waste and aggregated the figures to produce a 2025 estimate of plastic and paper use.
However, Chan said the figure was likely to be an underestimate, given that some e-commerce firms did not disclose packaging intensity, and urged the government to mandate disclosures.
Among the 505 respondents, many identified outer plastic stretch wrap and plastic bags as the most unnecessary materials. Half said they typically bought one to three items per order, with about one-third buying four to six.
Taobao was the most frequently used online marketplace, followed by HKTVmall and Pinduoduo, according to respondents. Taobao is operated by Alibaba Group Holding, which is also the parent company of the South China Morning Post.
From July, the mainland’s State Post Bureau will enforce rules to curb excessive packaging, targeting waste at the source by limiting layers and encouraging the use of original boxes without additional wrapping at dispatch.
For example, the rules limit non-fragile items such as clothing, books, or non-breakable electronics to no more than two layers of wrapping, with a maximum of three layers for fragile goods and four for frozen meat or other temperature-sensitive items.
They also require appropriately sized boxes and restrict the length of plastic tape based on box dimensions. Non-compliance may result in fines.
In Hong Kong, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has encouraged e-commerce companies to join a packaging reduction charter since last year.
A total of 145 firms, including 12 logistics companies and 12 e-commerce businesses, have signed up so far.
An EPD spokeswoman said the department collected annual packaging data from signatories and used it to support more targeted policy measures.
She added that while packaging for online purchases shipped from the mainland to Hong Kong would be subject to the same requirements, the department was in talks with the logistics industry to encourage local express delivery services to refer to the national standards.
She also said that common packaging materials, including shipping boxes, honeycomb paper, bubble wrap, polystyrene and inflatable air cushions, could be recycled at the EPD’s Green@Community stations.
The department launched an on-site recycling scheme at nine self-pickup points run by three major logistics firms at the start of the year, encouraging customers to return materials promptly.
With more than 1,000 collection points across Hong Kong, Chan also urged more e-commerce operators to participate in the scheme.
HKTVmall said it required merchants to follow detailed packaging guidelines to minimise product damage, given its use of automated picking and sorting systems, and would remind them to comply strictly with the relevant standards.
A spokeswoman for SF Express said the group had provided suggestions on the drafting of the national standards, reduced front-end packaging, and cut plastic and paper consumption, including the use of plastic film, tape, paper and seals.
The South China Morning Post also reached out to Taobao and Pinduoduo for comment.