GB xxxx – 200x  
ICS 83.140.01 
Y 28 
                                                         GB 
National Standard of the People’s Republic of China   
    GB XXXXX —200×  
_______________________________________________________________  
 
 
General Environment al, Safety, Identific ation and Marking  
Requirements  for Plastic Shopping Bags 
 
 
 
(Draft  for approval ) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Issue date: xxxx -xx-xx                     Implementation date: xxxx -xx-xx 
____________________________________________________________________  
 
 Issued by  General Admi nistration of Quality Supervision, 
Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s 
Republic of China  GB xxxx – 200x  
Preface  
 
 Chapters 3, 4 and 5 of the Standard are mandatory  clauses . 
 This Standard was proposed by the China National Light Industry Council.  
The China Natio nal Technical Committee of Standardisation for Plastic Products 
implemented this standard.  
    The drafting units of the Standard are:  
    The main drafters of th e Standard are : 
This is the first issue of this Standard . GB xxxx – 200x  
General Environment al, Safety, Identification and Marking  
Requirements  for Plastic Shopping Bags 
 
1   Scope  
     Th is Standard specifies the general environment al, safety, identification and 
marking  requirements for  plastic shopping bags.  
     Th is Standard appli es to plastic bags made by t he films produced by using 
different kinds of plastic materials and mixed materials through the bag -making 
processing technologies of heat sealing or gluing.  
 
2   Normative references  
     The provisions of the following documents become provisions of this  Standard 
after being referenced. For dated reference documents, all later amendments 
(excluding corrigenda) and versions do not apply to this Standard; however, the 
parties to the agreement are encouraged to study whether the latest versions of these 
docu ments are applicable. For undated reference documents, the latest versions apply 
to this Standard.  
     GB/T 1844.1 -1995 Symbols of plastics and resins  - Part 1: Basic polymers and 
their special characteristics  (seq. ISO 1043 -1: 1987)  
     GB/T 1844.2 -1995  Symbols of plastics and resins  - Part 2: Fillers and 
reinforcing materials  (seq. ISO 1043 -2: 1987)  
     GB/T 1844.3 -1995 Symbols of plastics and resins  - Part 3: Plasticisers  (seq. 
ISO 1043 -3: 1987)  
GB 9681 Hygienic standard of products of polyvinyl chlor ide for food 
packaging  
GB 9685 Hygienic standard for adjuvants and processing aids in food 
containers and packaging materials  
GB 9687 Hygienic standard for poly ethylene  products used as food containers 
and tableware  
GB 9688 Hygienic standard for polyprop ylene products used as food containers 
and tableware  
 
3   Environmental requirements  
3.1   Thickness of plastic bags  
     The minimum thickness of plastic  shopping bags  must  be  0.025mm . 
3.2   Environmental declaration  
     On each plastic bag the following  words  should be indicated:  “To protect the 
environment and save resources, please use the bag for multiple times ”. GB xxxx – 200x  
 
4   Safety requirements  
     a) The volume of adjuvant s and processing aids used in plastic shopping bags 
intended for direct contact with food should meet the requirements of GB 9685.  
     b) Polyethylene plastic shopping bags intended for direct contact with food 
should meet the requirements set out in  GB 9687.  
     c) Polyprop ylene plastic shopping bags intended for direct contact with foo d 
should meet the requirements set out in  GB 9688.  
     d) Polyvinyl chloride  plastic shopping bags intended for direct contact with 
food should meet the requirements set out in  GB 9681.  
e) Starch -based plastic shopping bags intended for direct contact wit h food 
should meet the requirements set out in Table 1.  
f) Plastic shopping bags made of other materials intended for direct contact with 
food should meet the requirements set out in  the hygienic standard for products made 
of corresponding materials.  
 
Tabl e 1   Hygienic standard for starch -based plastic shopping bags intended for 
direct contact with food  
Item  Indicator  
Evaporation residue, mg/L   
Water, 60, 2h,  30 
4% acetic acid, 60, 2h,  30 
65% ethanol, 2 0, 2h,  30 
N-hexane, 2 0, 2h,  60 
Potas sium hypermanganate, mg/L,  
Water, 60, 2h 10 
Heavy metal (in Pb), mg/L,  
4% acetic acid, 60, 2h 1 
Decolo urisation test   
Ethanol  Negative  
Cold edible oil  or colourless  grease  Negative  
Soak solution  Negative  GB xxxx – 200x  
 
4.2 Safety declaration  
     On each pla stic bag , a safety statement or warning words such as: “To avoid 
and prevent danger of suffocation, please keep this bag away from babies and 
children ”, or “ Do not use this plastic shopping bag near cribs, beds, rails, etc.” should 
be indicated.  
     On pl astic shopping bags intended for direct contact with food , the words “For 
food use ” should be indicated.  
 
5 Identification and marking  
5.1 Basic identification and marking  
5.1.1 Indication method  
        £  £  £  £ 
 
 
                            Nomin al load bearing  
 
                            Specifications:  
Length × (Width  + Edge fold ) × Thickness  
 
Standard No  
 
Name of plastic shopping bag  
5.1.2 Name of plastic shopping bag  
     Identification and marking s on the bag  should clearly indicate t he name of the 
bag, e.g. plastic shopping bag (general plastic shopping bag), biodegradable plastic 
shopping bag , starch -based plastic shopping bag, plastic shopping bag for direct 
contact with food, and so on.  
5.1.3 Standard No  
     The Standard No for plastic shopping bags is GB/T ×××× -2008.  
5.1.4 Specifications  
     The dimensions for plastic shopping bag s includ es length, width, edge fold and 
thickness . This is calculated as Length × (Width  + Edge fold ) × Thickness, with the 
unit in mm.  
5.1.5 Nominal lo ad bearing  
     The nominal load bearing , in the unit of kilogram (kg) , should be clearly 
indicated  on plastic shopping bags . 
5.2 Mark  GB xxxx – 200x  
     Figure 1 shows  plastic shopping bag markings . The pattern of sign, code, safety 
statement, supplementary statement, material and component to be indicated in the 
mark are shown in Appendix A.  
 
 
 
     
  
1 – pattern of sign; 2 – code; 3 – safety statement;  
4 – supplementary statement; 5 – material and component  
Figure 1 Mark of a plastic shopping bag  
 
5.3 Colo ur of mark  
     Bright colo urs, which cannot easily fade or decolo urise. 
5.4 Making the mark  
     A method of printing or spray coating  should be adopted  without damaging  the 
function ing of the plastic shopping bags . 
5.5 Number  of marks  
     In general, e ach plastic shopping bag has one mark. If necessary, the number  of 
mark ings can be increased.  
5.6 Position of mark  
     Markings  should be generally  be situated in an obvious place o n the plastic 
shopping bag s. 
5.7 Company  
     The  production company name should be cl early indicated on the  plastic 
shopping bags . 
5.8 Example of identification and marking  
     An example of  the identification and marking of polyethylene -made plastic 
shopping bag is shown in Figure 2.  GB xxxx – 200x  
 
 
 
 
             r 
 
Figure 2   Example of a plastic  shopping bag  
 
 
 
 
      04  
 
> PE – LD <  To avoid and prevent danger of suffocation, please keep this bag away 
from babies and children.   
Do not use this plastic shopping bag near cribs, beds, rails, etc. 
To protect the environment and save resources, ple ase use the bag multiple 
times.  
We suggest that this  bag be recycled and reused after being discarded.  
Plastic shopping bag   GB/T xxxxx 400 × (230+50) × 0.025mm 8kg       Produced by Xxxxxxxx Company  
 
 GB xxxx – 200x  
Appendix  A 
(Standardised Appendix ) 
Concrete conten ts of Mark  
 
A.1 Pattern of sign  
     There are 3 different signs and names of marks for plastic shopping bags, as 
shown in Table A1.  
Table A1   Signs and names of marks  
Serial No.  Signs  Name  
1 
 Recyclable and reusable  
2 
 Cannot be recycled and reused  
3 
 Made from recycled and reprocessed plastic materials  
 
A.2 Code  
     The abbreviations, names and codes for the plastic materials used in plastic 
shopping bags are shown in Table A2.  
Table A2   Abbreviations, names and codes for the main plastic mater ials 
commonly used in making part s of plastic shopping bags  
Abbreviated Terms  Terms of Materials  Code  
PET poly(ethylene terephthalate)  01 
PE-HD polyethylene, high density  02 
PVC  poly(vinyl chloride)  03 
PE-LD polyethylene,low density  04 
PP polypropy lene  05 
EVAC  ethylene -vinyl acetate plastic  32 
PBAT  poly(butylene adipate/terephthalate)  52 
PBS polybuthylenesuccinate  56 
PCL polycaprolactone  60 
PE-LLD  polyethylene,linear low density  72 
PE-MD polyethylene,medium density  73 
PE-VLD  polyethyle ne,very low density  81 
PHBV  poly-(hydroxybutyrate -co-hydroxyvalerate)  87 
PLA polylactic acid or polylactide  92 
PPC carbon dioxide and propylene copolymer  99 
PVAL  poly(vinyl alcohol)  115 GB xxxx – 200x  
     If the plastic shopping bag cannot be recycled and reus ed, the place in which its  
code  is usually found should be left  empty. If the material of which the plastic 
shopping bag is  made is  not listed in Table A2, its code should be left  empty  or the 
abbreviated term for indication  should be directly print ed. The  way of expressing 
abbreviated terms is shown in GB/T 1844.1, GB/T 1844.2 and GB/T 1844.3.  
A.3 Safety statement  
    Safety statements and warning words  should be printed on  each plastic bag, with 
the intention of  protect ing human health and safety. Th ese should read, for example , 
“To avoid and prevent danger of suffocation, please keep this bag away from babies 
and children. Do not use this plastic shopping bag near cribs, beds, rails, etc.”.  
     For plastic shopping bags m ade from recycled and reprocesse d plastic materials, 
identification and marking s should be provided  according to Table 2, a long with a  
clear indication of the volume of the recycled plastic materials being used. If the 
plastic shopping bags could  be possibly misused as packaging  for food , the following  
words  should be clearly indicated : “Not intended for food storage ”. 
     Plastic shopping bags for medical use, chemical use and pesticide use should 
not be recycled or reused, and the second sign found in  Table A1 should be indicated 
on su ch products . 
A.4 Supplementary statements  
     Necessary supplementary statements may be given on the method of nature 
change, processing technology or scope of application. Functional statements may 
also be made by using simple words to express the specif ic functions of certain 
materials, such as  “biological decomposition, ” “antibiotic, ” “highly barrier -based, ” 
“carrion  resistant, ” “aging resistant ”, whether  in statements or  in mark ings. 
A.5 Materials and components  
A.5.1 Identification and marking of comp onents  
     During the identification and marking of the main components of plastic 
shopping bags, the signs “>” and “<” should be used, with the abbreviated terms or 
codes of the main components and materials bracketed in between the signs.  
A.5.2 Identifi cation and marking of single component s of plastic shopping bags  
     The identification and marking of a single polymer or copolymer component 
should be made according to the requirements set out in  Subsection A.5.1.  
     Example:  Low -density polyethylen e plastic material is expressed as:  
               > PE -LD <  
A.5.3  Identification and marking of plastic shopping bags made of polymer 
compounds or alloys  
     For plastic shopping bags made of polymer compounds or alloys, suitable 
abbreviated terms should  be used to express the polymer components according to the GB xxxx – 200x  
sizes of mass ratios of different main components. Use “+” to indicate  separation 
between the abbreviated terms of polymers. The terms are arrayed in descending order.  
Identification and marking s should be made according to the requirements set out in  
Subsection A.5.1.  
     Example:  For low -density polyethylene  and linear low -density polyethylene  compounds, 
low-density polyethylene  is the main polymer and is expressed as:  
               > PE -LD-PE-LLD <  
A.5.4  Identification and marking of plastic shopping bags containing adjuvants 
and processing aids  
A.5.4.1 Plastic products containing f iller or reinforcing material  
     For plastic shopping bags containing a single f iller, the filler should be 
identified and marked together with the plastic polymer. At the end of the abbreviated 
term for plastic polymer a hyphen  and the abbreviated term for adjuvant  should be 
added , which is based on the requirements of GB/T 1844.2 -1995. Identification and 
marking  should be carried out  according to the requirements set out in  Subsection 
A.5.1.  
     Example 1: Low-density polyethylene  with a 30% added mass ratio of starch (St.)  is expressed 
as: 
                > (PE -LD)-St30 <  
     For compound s containing multiple fillers, the percentage content of adjuvants 
and processing aids should be stated in round brackets.  
     Example 2:  Polyethylene  with 15% added mass ratio of mineral powder and 25% mass ratio of 
starch (St.) is expressed as  
                 > PP - ( St25  + MD15) <  or  > PP - ( St + MD)40 <  
A.5.4.2   Plastic shopping bags containing  plastici sers 
     For plastic shopping bags containing  plastici sers, at the end of the abbreviated 
term of polymer a hyphen, a symbol “P” and the abbreviated term of plastici sers 
should be added  (in round brackets) . Identification and marking s should be carried out  
according to the requirements of Subsection A.5.1.  The abbreviated terms for 
plastici sers are based on the requirements set out in  GB/T 1844.3 -1995.  
     Example:  P VC containing the plastici ser dibutyl phthalate  (DBP) is expressed as:  
> PVC -P(DBP) <  
A.5.4.3 Identification and marking plastic shopping bags containing recycled and 
reprocessed plastic materials  
     For plastic shopping bags containing recycled or repro cessed plastic materials , 
the recycled and reprocessed plastic material should be  identified and marked together 
with the plastic material. At the end of the abbreviated term for the  plastic material a 
hyphen  and the abbreviated term for recycled and repro cessed plastic material  should GB xxxx – 200x  
be added, after referring to the abbreviated terms for recycled and reprocessed plastic 
material s, and the brackets with R should be placed inside. Identification and 
marking s should be carried out according to the requiremen ts set out in  Subsection 
A.5.1.  
     Example 1:  Polyethylene  product added with recycled and reused polyethylene  (mass ratio 
30%) is expressed as:  
                  > PE -PE (R) 30 <  
     For plastic shopping bags containing multiple recycled and reprocess ed plastic 
materials, the percentage content of the recycled and reprocessed plastic materials 
should be stated in  additional  brackets.  
Example 2:  PE containing 15% mass ratio of the recycled PP and 25% mass ratio of the 
recycled PE is expressed as:  
                  > PE -(PE (R) 25 + PP (R) 15) <  
 
 
__________________________________