New National Standards for Biodegradable Plastics Officially Implemented on June 1, Regulating Labels and Degradation Indicators of Plastic Packaging Bags

Issuing Authorities: State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), Standardization Administration of China (SAC)Effective Date: June 1, 2026

Two national standards, GB/T 41010-2021 Degradation Performance and Labeling Requirements for Biodegradable Plastics and Products and GB/T 41008-2021 Biodegradable Drinking Straws, have been fully enforced across China starting June 1, 2026. The documents set unified compliance rules covering the production, sales and marketing of domestic biodegradable flexible plastic packaging bags.

The new standards lay out mandatory specifications for biodegradable plastic bags widely used in retail, catering and logistics sectors:

1. The minimum degradation rate of qualified products is raised to over 90%;
2. Packaging must carry clear marks including applicable degradation environments (industrial composting / home composting), raw material composition and service life;
3. Vague single wording like “biodegradable” is banned for marketing purposes to eliminate misleading eco-friendly claims;
4. Special testing procedures are formulated to distinguish conventional plastics from certified biodegradable alternatives, cracking down on counterfeit low-quality products.

The upgraded standards will standardize the domestic biodegradable packaging industry and phase out unqualified inferior goods. Manufacturers of plastic packaging bags are required to revise product labels and complete standardized test reports to comply with domestic market rules. In addition, the testing indicators of China’s new national standards align with the EU EN 13432 certification system, offering basic quality certification support for export-oriented packaging enterprises.