Green Printing vs Green Packaging: 3 Standard Systems' Real Boundaries, Often Confused by Printers and Brands

In April this year, a customer in Suzhou who makes food gift boxes contacted me because their new brand was going to be listed in JD.com’s “Green Packaging” section, and JD.com required suppliers to provide a “Green Packaging Certification Certificate.” The customer asked whether I could issue one. I asked a crucial question: “Do you need the printing factory’s green printing certification, or certification for the finished package?” The customer was stunned for 5 seconds. He said he had always assumed the printing factory could issue it, because JD.com’s “Green Packaging” portal states on the brand owner’s backend, “Please provide the printing factory’s green printing certification.”

This is the most typical example of confusion between green printing and green packaging—the customer assumes the printing plant can provide the certification, the printing plant assumes it can provide the certification, and ultimately the project is rejected when submitted for approval. Although both certification systems include the word “green,” they govern entirely different matters.

Basic distinctions among the 3 systems

First, let’s clarify the fundamentals of these 3 systems—in fact, they are not limited to just “green printing” and “green packaging”; there are also “China Environmental Labeling Type III” and “green supply chain evaluation”, bringing the total to 4 concepts that printing factories often find confusing:

ConceptStandard/Certificate NumberIssuing BodyScope of CoverageApplicantGreen PrintingCY/T 3-2013 / QB/T 4120-2011China Printing and Equipment Manufacturers AssociationPrinting Production ProcessPrinting PlantGreen PackagingHJ/T 209-2005 + China Environmental Labeling Type III (GB/T 24025)Environmental Development Center of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (bid consortium)Packaging Product Life CycleApplicable to both brand owners and packaging companiesChina Environmental Labeling (Ten-Ring Certification)HJ/T 207-2005 and other seriesEnvironmental Development Center of the Ministry of Environmental ProtectionSpecific product categories (packaging/printed materials/paper products, etc.)Product manufacturerGreen Supply Chain AssessmentGB/T 33635-2017Third-Party Certification BodyOverall Green Level of the Supply ChainBrand Owner

The major difference between green printing and green packaging is “process-oriented vs. product-oriented”:

Green Printing Certification—examines whether the printing plant’s “production process is environmentally friendly”: VOC emissions, ink solvents, wastewater treatment, workshop dust, noise control, etc. The certificate states “XX Printing Plant (Green Printing),” with a validity period of 3 years.

Green Packaging Certification—assesses the “environmental impact of packaging products throughout their entire life cycle” across 6 stages: raw material sourcing, production, transportation, use, recycling, and disposal. The certificate states “XX Brand XX Product (Green Packaging),” with a validity period of 3-5 years.

This explains why JD.com’s “Green Packaging Zone” requires brands to provide green packaging certification rather than a printer’s green printing certificate—because the zone is categorized by “product,” not by “printer.”

Real Needs and Scenarios of Three Types of Customers

After 11 years in packaging, I have found that when customers mention “green,” their actual needs fall into 3 categories, each requiring a completely different approach:

Scenario 1: The brand wants to establish a "green brand" positioning

This type of customer accounts for the largest share, at 60%. What they want is not a certificate, but to know “which green logos the brand owner can print on the packaging”. A typical conversation goes like this:

“We want to display a green label in our Tmall flagship store so consumers perceive us as an environmentally friendly brand. Could the printing plant print the China Environmental Labeling Certification mark for us?”

Answer: It cannot be printed arbitrarily. The rules for using the China Environmental Labeling (Ten-Ring Mark) are stipulated by the Environmental Development Center of the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The product must first obtain Ten-Ring certification before the mark can be printed on the package, and the printing factory’s green printing certificate cannot be used as a substitute. The customer’s task is to:

First apply for China Environmental Labeling certification for the relevant product category (food packaging, cosmetics packaging, etc. each have their own standards)

After obtaining the certificate, the printing plant will print it using the "China Environmental Labeling (Type II) logo vector file" provided by the brand owner.

“Green product” claims on the packaging must be consistent with the scope of certification and must not make cross-category claims

The printing company is the passive party in this situation and cannot proactively promise the customer that it can produce ten-ring packaging, but it can help the customer connect with a certification consulting agency.

Scenario 2: The brand owner needs to export compliant products to Europe and the United States

These customers account for 25% of the total, and what they actually require is international environmental certification (FSC / PEFC / CFCC / BPI / TUV, etc.), rather than Chinese green printing/packaging certification. Actual conversation:

“We want to export to Europe, and the customer requires proof of degradable packaging. Do you have it at the printing plant?”

Answer: What the printing plant can do is limited. Certifications for compostable packaging (such as ASTM D6400 and EN 13432) assess the material's degradation performance. The certified party is the material supplier or brand owner, while the printing plant is only the processor. What the printing plant can do to support export compliance is:

Use FSC-certified paper (provide the FSC certificate + Chain of Custody CoC number)

Use soybean-based ink / water-based ink (provide ink MSDS + manufacturer’s declaration)

Use compostable adhesive (provide the manufacturer’s certification documents)

None of these can replace the customer's finished-product certification, but they can serve as “supporting documentation” for the customer's certification application. During quotation, the printer separately lists “Environmental Protection Material Certification Documents: 500 yuan/order” so that the customer clearly understands what the payment is for.

Scenario 3: The printing plant seeks to obtain “Green Factory” certification on its own

This type of customer is the printing plant itself, accounting for 15%. Printing plants have a genuine need for green printing certification, not for the sake of a particular customer, but to qualify for government orders, state-owned enterprise orders, and large customers’ factory inspections. Real-world scenario:

Jiangsu Province-level "Green Printing Demonstration Enterprise" selection requires CY/T 3 certification

Government procurement projects in Shanghai and Shenzhen require printing companies to have green printing qualifications

Some major brands (such as Unilever and Procter & Gamble) require printing plants to pass a green printing audit during factory inspections

Cycle for obtaining green printing certification at the printing plant:

Submit application + self-inspection report → 1 month

On-site audit (VOC emissions, ink warehouse, workshop environment) → 1-2 days

Rectification (typically, 2-3 nonconformities require 1-3 months for rectification) → 1-3 months

Issuance → 1 month

The total duration is 4-6 months, with total costs of 50,000-150,000 yuan (including certification fees and rectification investments). Lexiang obtained green printing certification once in 2024. The main rectification investment was upgrading VOC treatment equipment, which cost 80,000 yuan.

3 Types of Certificates Most Easily Confused by Printing Plants

When coordinating with clients, printing companies most often confuse the following 3 types of certificates:

Mixing 1: Green Printing ↔ Ten-Ring Certification

Green printing (CY/T 3) examines the printing plant’s production process, whereas China Environmental Labeling certification (HJ/T 207) assesses the environmental performance of the product. Having a green printing certificate does not mean that the boxes produced are China Environmental Labeling-certified products. When customers ask, “Are your boxes China Environmental Labeling-certified products?”, the printing plant should answer: “Our printing plant is qualified for green printing, but China Environmental Labeling certification applies to products and must be applied for separately by the brand owner.”

Mixing 2: Green Packaging ↔ Recyclable/Degradable

The Green Packaging Certification (HJ/T 209) assesses the environmental impact of packaging throughout its entire life cycle, covering multiple dimensions, including recyclability, degradability, low carbon footprint, and low toxicity, rather than focusing solely on recyclability or degradability. When a customer requests “proof of recyclable packaging,” the printing plant can provide a recyclability declaration for the material itself (such as FSC-certified paper plus a manufacturer’s declaration), not a green packaging certificate.

Combination 3: Green Printing ↔ ISO 14001

Green Printing (CY/T 3) is a Chinese printing industry standard, whereas ISO 14001 is an internationally recognized environmental management system standard. Holding an ISO 14001 certificate does not mean that a printing plant holds a Green Printing certificate, and vice versa. The two differ in their certifying bodies, audit standards, and scopes of application, but customers often confuse the two. Printing plants should clearly distinguish them when preparing quotations.

3 Strategies for Printing Plants

To address the customer's three types of "green" needs, the printing plant has three corresponding strategies:

Strategy 1: Equip the printing plant with the standard “Green Printing” qualification—useful for brand-owner factory audits, government and state-owned enterprise orders, and major customer audits. Essential, with a total investment of 5-15 × 10,000 RMB and completion in 4-6 months.

Strategy 2: Prepare Environmental Compliance Documentation at the Printing Plant—Manufacturer declarations for FSC paper, soy-based ink, water-based ink, and compostable adhesive, along with MSDS and CoC numbers. For export customers, the one-time documentation cost is 500-1500 yuan and should be listed as a separate item on the quotation.

Strategy 3: Printers should not promise “green packaging certification” on behalf of the brand—this is the brand’s responsibility. What the printer can do is connect the client with a certification consultancy and provide the necessary supporting documentation. Making promises without the authority to do so will only leave the client with a worthless piece of paper.

The Actual Declaration Process for the JD/Tmall Green Packaging Zone

Finally, back to the real issue raised by the Suzhou customer at the beginning—he wants to list his products in JD.com’s Green Packaging section. The correct application process is:

The brand confirms the product category (food packaging / cosmetics packaging / daily-use products packaging, etc.)

Select the corresponding ten-ring certification standard for the product category (such as HJ/T 207-2005 for packaging products)

Submit an application to the Zhongbiao Joint Certification Center, duration: 3-6 months, cost: 3-8 ten thousand

After obtaining the certificate, provide the China Environmental Labeling (Ten Ring) vector artwork to the printing factory, which will print according to the vector artwork

Once approved by the JD Green Packaging Zone, you can go live

In 2025, LeXiang assisted 3 clients through this declaration process. The certification consulting fee was RMB 15,000 per product, with the printing factory assisting with proofing and documentation. The total timeline was 4 months. Clients do not need to find a printing factory; they need to engage a certification body.

Key Judgments

Printing companies need to keep a clear head when it comes to “green” initiatives: green printing should be handled by printing companies themselves, green packaging by brand owners themselves, and export environmental compliance through collaboration between both parties. Customer relationships will break down when different certificates are mixed, and projects will spiral out of control when the parties blame each other. Clearly defining the boundaries of the 4 systems is the foundation for printing companies to continue winning orders in the green packaging market.

Further reading: FSC / PEFC / CFCC / China Environmental Label — 4 Types of Forest Certification Labels, Recycled Paper vs Virgin Paper for Packaging, Compostable vs Biodegradable vs Recyclable — 3 Label Categories and Their Misuse, 3 Key Indicators for VOC Control in Packaging Printing.