Emphasizing Eco-Friendliness but Using Plastic Packaging? ... Agricultural Product Packaging Guidelines Released

The government has released guidelines for agricultural product packaging aimed at minimizing the excessive and redundant use of fixatives and cushioning materials in fruit boxes, and replacing band stickers with laser engraving to highlight a premium image.

On the 27th, the Ministry of Environment announced the establishment of the "Agricultural Product Packaging Guidelines" to promote eco-friendly packaging throughout the production and distribution process of agricultural products.

According to the guidelines, it is recommended to use different types of corrugated cardboard boxes according to the weight of the agricultural products to avoid overuse. For example, single-face corrugated cardboard type 1 is used for packaging agricultural products weighing less than 2 kg, and single-face corrugated cardboard type 2 is used for products weighing between 2 kg and less than 10 kg.

Instead of attaching printed materials separately, printing directly on the box, replacing band stickers with laser engraving, and reducing double packaging materials such as fan caps and nets are suggested as measures to reduce waste generation.

On the 5th, ahead of the Chuseok holiday, citizens are purchasing fruits at Gwangjang Market in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The guidelines also include content on using pallets when transporting agricultural products from production sites to stores and selling them unpackaged individually at stores.

Custom-sized packaging with a stacking efficiency of over 90% is recommended to minimize space, and the use of open-type reusable boxes or paper boxes instead of individual small packages is encouraged.

The Ministry of Environment expects that by referring to these guidelines when shipping or distributing agricultural products, an eco-friendly packaging culture can be established.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.