Xiamen promotes green delivery ahead of online shopping bonanza

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba's delivery arm Cainiao Network and the government of East China's city of Xiamen in Fujian province announced plans to cooperate on environment-friendly delivery services on Oct 20.

With the China Environmental Protection Foundation and Chinese major courier companies as participants, including Yunda Express and ZTO Express, the project was launched in the port city ahead of the nation's largest online shopping festival, on Nov 11.

The green logistics project includes use of environment-friendly packaging, recycling of paper boxes and use of new energy vehicles.

About 2 million bags made from biodegradable material will be used in the city for the project this year, with the number expected to exceed 10 million next year.

The Cainiao Network will recycle delivery paper boxes on school campuses and in residential communities, with around 1 million boxes expected to be recycled every year, according to Wan Lin, president of the company.

An express dispatch platform to optimize express delivery will be established to increase efficiency and lower costs.

For the upcoming shopping festival, the Cainiao Network will launch warehouses using green packaging. Some of the warehouses have already been put in use, the company said.

"With technical, intelligent and coordinated means, we will strive to make Xiamen an example for China and the world in green logistic services," Wan said.

In a consumer culture that often amounts to little more than click, buy, receive delivery and throw away the packaging, increasing amounts of cardboard, foam plastic, plastic bags and other packing materials are being thrown away.

Last year China used more than 12 billion plastic bags for express packaging, sparking pollution concerns and calls for environment-friendly logistics.