New center to research greener package delivery

China's first package recycling demonstration base has officially been opened in Qingdao, in East China's Shandong province to help deal with the rise of online shopping.

The base was constructed in a partnership between the State Post Bureau, Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication and the Sino-German Ecopark, with investment from the ENMA Group, a Qingdao-based enterprise.

An estimated 350 million yuan is to be invested into the base in the near future.

Han Ruilin, from the State Post Bureau, said China's delivery industry had experienced fast growth, alongside the booming online shopping market, which has become an indispensable part of people's lives.

"The packaging of goods purchased online is inferior, however, and not environmentally-friendly, which is against the green development of courier services," Han said.

Ma Hao, chairman of ENMA group, suggested that research and development of key technologies in the delivery industry would be the main tasks of the demonstration base and would use the help of other enterprises, universities and institutions.

The first post doctorate studies on the delivery industry are expected to be established by the end of this year, with subjects focusing on the application and testing of green-style packaging, container standards and testing harmful substances in courier packages.

China's top courier service enterprises, including SF Express and UC Express, have signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the demonstration base.

Data from the State Post Bureau showed courier deliveries in China totaled 31.3 billion in 2016.

The country had the highest express delivery volume in the world.