How the domestic packaging bag industry rose: the striving path from substitution to surpassing 2

III. Impressive Import Substitution Case – Vacuum Packaging Bags for Fresh Corn

The rapid development of the fresh corn industry places extremely high demands on vacuum packaging bags, which must withstand high-temperature retort sterilization while achieving long-term freshness preservation. In this field, Japanese companies long monopolized the high-end market, while domestic packaging technology strived to break through amidst difficulties.

(A) Japanese Technological Advantages and Domestic Gaps

Japanese vacuum packaging bags for fresh corn utilize advanced material systems, typically with a structure of coated nylon (outer layer) / Mitsui high-temperature retort adhesive / RCPP (inner layer). The adhesive's heat resistance reaches 135°C, the aluminum foil layer's light barrier rate is 99.9%, completely preventing light oxidation, with product browning rate < 0.1% and bag breakage rate of 0.5%. In contrast, traditional domestic composite bags (e.g., PA/PE structure) are prone to brittleness and cracking in low-temperature, dry environments, with vacuum breakage rates 15%-20% higher than Japanese products. Hardening after retorting is prominent, adaptability to sweet corn with high moisture content is insufficient, browning rate is about 2% ~ 5%, and bag breakage rate is 3% ~ 8%.

(B) The Substitution Path of Domestic Enterprises

Domestic enterprises have continuously narrowed the gap with Japanese products through technological innovation. In material R&D, they developed high-barrier pathways, such as the PA15 nylon coating layer + retort-resistant film + double corona-treated PA15 sandwich structure, improving oxygen barrier performance and interlayer bonding strength. For functional expansion, Jiangsu Shenkai's patented design added an "anti-ethyl maltol layer" to specifically protect the flavor substances of Yunnan sweet corn. In cost control, they abandoned expensive aluminum foil, adopting EVOH co-extruded transparent films (e.g., PA/EVOH/PE) to achieve high barrier and visibility, with a price only 40% of imported aluminum foil bags. Simultaneously, they continuously improved production processes to enhance product quality stability.

IV. Products and Technologies with Performance Advantages Surpassing Foreign Technologies

(A) Green and Eco-friendly Packaging Materials

With increasing global emphasis on environmental protection, green and eco-friendly packaging materials have become a new industry trend. Domestic enterprises have achieved significant results in this area, developing various biodegradable and recyclable packaging materials whose performance surpasses some foreign counterparts. For example, the biomass composite film material developed by a team led by Professor Chen Yi from Hunan University of Technology can be used not only for shopping bags but also widely applied as paper-plastic composite film and packaging film. This material has good biocompatibility and potential applications in the biomedical field. The team also developed products like wound dressing materials and ostomy care adhesives, with performance comparable to leading foreign products and more competitive pricing.

(B) Smart Packaging Technology

In the field of smart packaging, domestic enterprises also demonstrate strong innovation capabilities. By integrating technologies like sensors and RFID tags into packaging, they enable real-time product monitoring, tracking, and information interaction. For instance, a smart food packaging bag developed by a domestic company integrates an oxygen indicator, which can monitor food freshness in real-time via color change. Simultaneously, embedded RFID traceability tags allow consumers to scan with a phone to obtain full-process information about the product's production, transportation, and sales, ensuring food safety. These smart packaging technologies are at the forefront globally in terms of function and application, providing consumers with more convenient and safe consumption experiences.

V. Promising Import Substitution Products, Materials, and Development Prospects

(A) High-Barrier Packaging Materials

High-barrier packaging materials have broad application prospects in food, pharmaceutical, and electronics industries. With continuous technological breakthroughs by domestic enterprises, such as the TPVA-OBP barrier application material developed by Sinopec Shanghai Research Institute and produced by Ningxia Energy and Chemical Industry, which has good oxygen barrier properties and processability, can be directly thermoformed, meeting processing requirements like blown film, cast film, multi-layer co-extrusion, and thermoforming. It addresses issues of low production efficiency, high energy consumption, and inability to produce multi-layer films with existing PVA film solution casting methods, effectively reducing the cost of barrier packaging materials. In the future, with further technological refinement and market acceptance, high-barrier packaging materials are expected to achieve comprehensive import substitution, breaking the long-term monopoly of foreign enterprises.

(B) Biodegradable Packaging Materials

Driven by environmental policies, market demand for biodegradable packaging materials is growing. R&D of materials like bio-based biodegradable films (PLA/corn starch composite) is accelerating, with costs expected to be only 50% higher than PE by 2025. Biodegradable packaging materials not only meet environmental requirements but also help companies establish a positive social image. In the future, with cost reduction and performance improvements, biodegradable packaging materials will occupy an increasingly important position in the packaging industry, achieving large-scale substitution of traditional non-biodegradable packaging materials.

VI. Conclusion

The path of import substitution for China's domestic packaging bag industry is filled with challenges and opportunities. Through technological innovation, market development, and quality improvement, domestic enterprises have achieved significant results in many fields, realizing a leap from catching up to keeping pace and even surpassing. However, we must also soberly recognize that gaps with foreign advanced levels still exist in some high-end and special fields. In the future, joint efforts from the government, enterprises, and research institutions are needed to increase R&D investment, strengthen talent cultivation, improve the industrial ecosystem, promote the development of the domestic packaging bag industry to a higher level, achieve comprehensive import substitution, and let "Made Intelligently in China" packaging bags shine brightly on the global market.