All companies in an industry compete with the industry that produces alternative products. Substitutes set a price cap on the profits of Companies in the industry, thus limiting the potential income of an industry. The more attractive the price performance options offered by alternatives, the lower the upper limit of industrial profits.
Natural degradable pulp molding environmental protection tableware substitutes can be divided into five categories: foamed plastics, photodegradable plastics, plant fibers, starch blending and cardboard. These five kinds of products together with pulp tableware constitute the disposable tableware market.
1. Polystyrene (EPS)
It is an early disposable tableware, which produces a series of problems when it is convenient to eat. It is mainly manifested in the following aspects: when it is used to hold hot soup water, the bisphenol and other toxic substances are separated out, which will cause harm to people when they are immersed in food. Especially in the raw materials of foam tableware, if the concentration of harmful substances exceeds the standard, the toxicity will be greater, resulting in great harm to human body; The waste tableware is not only toxic to the soil, but also harmful to the atmosphere after more than 200 years. Therefore, with the rapid development of fast food industry, a global environmental problem "white pollution" has emerged. In view of this, China has repeatedly banned the production and use of foam plastic tableware. However, due to its good usability and low price, the foam fast food box does not have the problem of oil leakage and water leakage, each price is 0.05-0.08 yuan, while the cost of a paper tableware is 0.2-0.3 yuan. Therefore, it has been repeatedly banned in China, and still fills the market. At present, the consumption of foam fast food box is relatively large, accounting for more than 60% of the whole market. However, it is inevitable that the foam fast food box will withdraw from the disposable tableware market It's a matter of time.
2. Photodegradable plastics
This kind of tableware is mainly added some additives (such as starch, biodegradable agent, etc.) in the production process of plastic products. Adding starch into the degradable plastic is called biodegradable plastic, adding photosensitizer is called photodegradable plastic, and adding starch and photosensitizer is called double degradation plastic material. Its various performance indicators are good, but biodegradable plastics can not be completely degraded into molecular state, only into small pieces, and also pollute the environment. Photosensitizers in photodegradable plastics and double degradable plastics have different degrees of toxicity. In 1995, the United States clearly stipulated that photodegradable plastics should not be used in food packaging.
This kind of tableware is an early substitute of foam plastic tableware, with mature technology and high efficiency. It was vigorously promoted in China in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was called environmental protection tableware because of its certain degradation performance. However, with the progress of society, its environmental protection is more and more questioned. However, there are still different interpretations of the definition of environmental protection in China, so degradable plastic tableware is widely used.
3. Plant fiber
It is mainly made of bagasse, rice straw, wheat straw and other raw materials through crushing, ingredient pressure molding and other processes, which fully meets the requirements of environmental protection, but it has the following problems: the hot forming process, the formula has gum composition, the product biodegradation process is extremely slow, the cost is also high, the price is about 0.3-0.5 yuan / piece. The production efficiency of this process is low, and one is usually completed in more than 2.5 minutes. The luster is not beautiful. The tableware made of this kind of raw materials has an obvious shortage, that is, the plants mainly rely on the stems to absorb pesticides during the growth process, and the residues of pesticides in the stems are large, so it is difficult to pass the national testing standards. This kind of product is still in the development stage because of its immature production technology and high product cost, and rarely enter the market.
4. Starch blending
This kind of tableware is made of starch plants such as corn, potato and so on. Its biodegradability is incomparable with other synthetic materials. It is also called total biodegradable material. However, due to the production technology problems, the waterproof performance of the product is difficult to solve, and the production cost is high, so it is rarely used in the market and is in the stage of development.
5. Paperboard
The tableware is non-toxic, harmless, pollution-free and can be recycled. However, the process is roll pressing and shearing forming of paperboard, the product form is single, and there are problems of soft, waterproof and oil proof in quality. And its raw material is paperboard, which needs to meet a variety of physical and chemical requirements for waterproof, oil, grease and other physical and chemical requirements, and cutting a large number of wood, will cause ecological damage. Because of its simple production process and low price, it is widely used in paper cups, paper barrels and paper trays, but with the protection of forest resources, its price is higher and higher.
Foamed plastics are obsolete products, but when they really quit the market is directly related to the government regulation. Moreover, because of its low price and high market share, the industrial profit of Pulp environmental protection tableware industry is limited, and has a direct impact on its development. The complete withdrawal of foam plastic tableware will be a great opportunity for the development of Pulp environmental protection tableware industry.