As green packaging regulations such as the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) continue to advance, plastic pallets—widely used as high-frequency packaging materials in logistics, warehousing, and transport circulation—are receiving greater attention for their low-carbon value. At the same time, they are subject to increasingly stringent requirements concerning packaging reduction, recycling, and carbon footprint transparency.
Recently, supported by Carbon Newture’s proprietary carbon management platform, Cyacle, Shanghai Tianqiang Environmental Technology Co., Ltd. (“Tianqiang Environmental”) conducted a cradle-to-gate product carbon footprint assessment for its recycled plastic pallet (1311 three-runner model) and obtained a Product Carbon Footprint Verification Statement issued by the independent third-party certification body SGS.
The verification has established a credible carbon data foundation for the product and provided traceable data support for recycled plastic packaging materials entering green procurement and supply chain decarbonization scenarios.
Tianqiang Environmental: Recycled Material Innovation Behind a Single Pallet
Tianqiang Environmental is a leading full-value-chain operator and service provider in China’s recycled plastic pallet sector. The company has long focused on recycled plastics and the circular economy and has established a complete industrial closed loop covering front-end collection, sorting and transfer, recycled pellet production, material modification, manufacturing, and end-use applications.
As one of the organizations involved in developing national standards and publishing industry white papers for the recycled plastics sector, Tianqiang Environmental has continued to promote the integration of municipal waste classification and recyclable material collection networks. It has also deployed smart community recycling terminals to expand its front-end collection network. Meanwhile, under authoritative certification systems including GRS, GRP, ISO 9001, and ISO 14001, the company has continuously improved its green manufacturing processes and full-chain traceability capabilities, laying a solid foundation for the consistent quality and large-scale application of recycled materials.
The recycled plastic pallet assessed in this project, the 1311 three-runner model, is manufactured using Tianqiang Environmental’s independently developed rPP-170 green and low-carbon post-consumer recycled polypropylene material.
Image source: Tianqiang Environmental
Unlike conventional recycled materials produced through basic collection and remanufacturing, the raw materials used in this product are sourced from low-value waste plastics such as flexible packaging films and discarded beverage cartons.These materials generally have limited recycling value, are difficult to sort and process, and are challenging to apply consistently in industrial-grade products. Through the combined optimization of material modification processes and the three-runner structural design, Tianqiang Environmental has maintained a high proportion of recycled content while enabling the pallet to support a dynamic load of 1.5 tonnes and a static load of 4 tonnes.The product can therefore be reliably used in logistics, warehousing, and high-frequency transport circulation, among other industrial scenarios.
Image source: Tianqiang Environmental
The stable performance of rPP-170 is derived from Tianqiang Environmental’s long-term expertise in raw material classification, modification processes, and quality control. Its systematic management capabilities across the entire collection and recycling chain, together with full-lifecycle data traceability, have enabled waste plastics that were previously difficult to utilize at high value to achieve a significant upgrade in environmental and economic value.
From Low-Value Collection to High-Value Utilization: Building a Low-Carbon Value Chain for Recycled Plastic Packaging
In recent years, China has continued to advance the development of waste recycling and resource utilization systems. The resource recovery of low-value recyclables has become an important direction for the coordinated development of municipal waste classification and recycled resource collection systems.
Low-value recyclables refer to materials with limited recycling value that are difficult to collect effectively through market mechanisms alone, such as discarded flexible packaging films and beverage cartons.
According to the Survey Report on the Current Status of Low-Value Recyclables Collection and Utilization in China, China used 50.66 million tonnes of low-value plastic packaging in 2022, while only 8.25 million tonnes were recovered, representing a recycling rate of just 16.3%. Most of the remaining materials were incinerated or landfilled together with municipal solid waste.¹
Image source: Survey Report on the Current Status of Low-Value Recyclables Collection and Utilization in China
The recently released Shanghai Three-Year Action Plan for Improving the Quality and Efficiency of Municipal Solid Waste Classification (2026–2028) marks Shanghai’s formal transition into the 3.0 stage of waste collection and recycling.For the first time, the action plan includes the “proportion of low-value recyclables” as a core indicator. It specifies that, by 2028, low-value recyclables should account for more than 25% of the total volume of collected recyclables.
The plan also calls for further improvements in the collection of low-value recyclables, the development of a more comprehensive recycling and utilization system, and the transition of municipal waste classification from intensive short-term implementation to long-term, institutionalized governance.
Image source: Shanghai Municipal People’s Government
To address the challenge of utilizing low-value recyclables and genuinely transform waste into valuable resources, Tianqiang Environmental has established a complete closed-loop system covering front-end collection, sorting and transfer, recycled pellet production, material modification, manufacturing, and end-use applications.
Image source: Tianqiang Environmental
At the front-end collection and intermediate sorting stages, Tianqiang Environmental has established an integrated system combining smart recycling terminals with self-service weighing equipment.
The company has deployed 286 front-end collection points across communities, supermarkets, and industrial parks nationwide, together with six regional transfer stations. This network supports the efficient classification, traceability, and batch management of recycled raw materials.
Notably, Tianqiang Environmental uses digital technologies to create an electronic record for each batch of collected materials within its proprietary intelligent collection and sorting management system. This ensures data completeness and traceability and provides a robust foundation for downstream production, carbon footprint assessment, certification, and product traceability.
Image source: Tianqiang Environmental
At the downstream recycling and utilization stages, Tianqiang Environmental applies its core proprietary technologies to process sorted low-value waste plastics through recycled pellet production and material modification.
The materials are transformed into recycled raw materials with more stable performance that meet industrial standards and are subsequently used in products such as recycled plastic pallets. This enables low-value waste plastics to move beyond being merely recyclable toward high-value utilization.
Image source: Tianqiang Environmental
Product carbon footprint assessment and verification at the end of the value chain provide a standardized, quantifiable, and independently verifiable representation of the environmental value created through this circular recycling pathway.
Building on its full-chain traceable data foundation, Tianqiang Environmental conducted a carbon footprint assessment and third-party verification for its recycled plastic pallet. Accurate and authoritative carbon data clearly demonstrate the product’s emissions performance, making the carbon reduction benefits of the circular economy visible, measurable, and actionable.
Mass-produced recycled plastic pallet, 1311 three-runner model. Image source: Tianqiang Environmental
With high-value recycling technologies at its core, digital full-chain management as its foundation, and standardized carbon footprint assessment as the basis for credible data, Tianqiang Environmental has established an innovative model integrating high-value utilization with low-carbon development for the recycled materials industry.
Looking ahead, Tianqiang Environmental will continue to improve its collection and recycling system, strengthen intelligent manufacturing capabilities, and promote the use of high proportions of recycled content and full-process carbon data disclosure across a broader range of packaging products.
The company will also actively participate in industry standard development, digital platform collaboration, and regional circular economy initiatives. Through a long-term commitment to the sector, Tianqiang Environmental will work with Carbon Newture—a benchmark green and low-carbon services platform—and other ecosystem partners to build a greener, low-carbon future and support China’s recycled materials and packaging industries in integrating into the global circular economy.
References
[1] “Challenges in the Collection and Utilization of ‘Low-Value Recyclables’: Perspectives from Multiple Stakeholders,”
https://swt.fujian.gov.cn/xxgk/jgzn/jgcs/ltyfzc/zszyhs/202401/t20240112_6380180.htm
