Green Policies Reshape International Courier Industry: Compliance, Costs and Green Services Become Core Competitiveness
 
Green policies are profoundly reshaping the development logic of the international courier industry through three dimensions: compliance hard constraints, new cost structures and new competition tracks, bringing short-term transformation pains while spawning long-term opportunities for service upgrading and value reconstruction.
 
A dual global environmental regulatory network combining domestic and international rules is tightening at an accelerated pace, making compliance the bottom line for the survival of international courier enterprises. On the packaging front, China will enforce mandatory national standards for express packaging in June 2025, prohibiting over-packaging and requiring the use of degradable and recyclable materials. The EU’s PPWR Regulation mandates that plastic packaging contain no less than 30% recycled materials by 2025 and 70% by 2030, with mandatory EPR registration; non-compliant entities face a plastic tax of €120 per tonne or a fine of 12% of the goods’ value. California in the US imposes an environmental tax of $500 per tonne on plastic packaging, while New York requires clear labeling of recyclable content ratios. Cross-border parcels must adopt customized packaging that meets destination country standards, directly driving up compliance costs by 8% to 15%. In terms of carbon regulation, the EU’s CBAM and the international aviation CORSIA mechanism have been implemented successively, compelling enterprises to establish carbon footprint tracking systems to fulfill declaration and disclosure requirements, which is expected to increase carbon emission costs by 8% to 12%. In addition, policies such as the EU EPR and Germany’s Packaging Act impose extended producer responsibility on courier companies for packaging recycling, while platforms like Amazon and Temu mandate eco-labels and certifications, forcing the logistics sector to keep pace with green upgrading.
 
The short-term pain of rising costs is driving the industry to accelerate technological and operational optimization. The unit price of degradable materials is 30% to 50% higher than that of traditional plastics, but policy incentives such as VAT refunds and tariff reductions can offset about 40% of the price premium. Large-scale application of reusable packaging can even achieve long-term cost reduction. Meanwhile, the physical performance limitations of degradable materials have prompted investment in temperature-controlled containers and customized cushioning materials. The popularization of intelligent packaging algorithms and electronic waybills has effectively improved operational efficiency and reduced packaging waste. Carbon cost pressures have also encouraged enterprises to prioritize low-carbon transportation routes such as sea freight and the China-Europe Railway Express, optimizing routes via AI to cut empty runs and form a closed-loop of green cost reduction.
 
Green capabilities have emerged as a core competitive barrier in the international courier industry. Leading enterprises have launched “eco-packaging + carbon offset” packages to provide carbon footprint certifications for cross-border merchants, helping them gain platform traffic preferences and brand premiums. Customized modular packaging for sectors like 3C and beauty products balances protection and environmental friendliness, boosting customs clearance efficiency by 40%. Full-chain services including overseas warehouse reusable packaging recycling and environmentally friendly reverse logistics processing are being refined. The industry’s competitive landscape is undergoing accelerated differentiation: international giants leverage technological and financial advantages to consolidate the high-end market, Chinese enterprises break through with regional green dedicated lines, and small and medium-sized freight forwarders must rely on platform resource integration to avoid being eliminated.
 
Digital tools and circular economy models have become key enablers of green transformation. AI-assisted eco-material selection and one-click carbon footprint declaration significantly reduce human errors and compliance cycles. Cross-border reuse of shared reusable packaging and community-linked end-of-life recycling points have built a collaborative recycling system involving enterprises and consumers, advancing the implementation of circular economy in the industry.