Policy Interpretation: Which national policies are driving the development of the paper bag machine industry?

In today's economic environment, a series of national-level policies are quietly driving the paper bag machine industry toward intelligent and green transformation, bringing unprecedented development opportunities to the industry.

As an important part of the packaging industry, the paper bag machine manufacturing industry is ushering in new development opportunities with the support of a number of national policies in recent times.

With the government increasing its support for enterprise technological upgrading, [ the central government has allocated funds from ultra-long-term special treasury bonds to support the trade-in of old consumer goods ], and the scale of funds has doubled compared to 2024, which has directly driven the growth in demand in the packaging industry.

At the same time, the 13 robust measures proposed by the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments to promote private investment have also injected new momentum into the expansion of the paper bag machine industry.

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Investment support policies: injecting financial vitality into the industry

National-level investment support policies are being rolled out intensively, providing a solid financial backing for the paper bag machine industry.

In 2025, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Several Measures on Further Promoting the Development of Private Investment," which clearly stated that private capital should be encouraged and supported to participate in projects that require national approval (verification) and have certain returns.

This policy breaks down the barriers that previously prevented private capital from entering specific sectors, thus broadening financing channels for companies in the paper bag machine industry.

Of particular note is that the policy explicitly states that the proportion of private capital holding shares can be above 10% , a quantitative indicator that goes beyond previous general statements and enhances the policy's operability.

This policy is particularly important for the capital-intensive paper bag machine manufacturing industry, providing more possibilities for enterprises to expand production scale and improve technology.

Guan Peng, deputy director of the Fixed Asset Investment Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that the National Development and Reform Commission will make good use of central government budgetary investment and actively support eligible private investment projects.

This means that companies engaged in the research and development and production of paper bag machines are expected to receive more national-level funding support, alleviating the financial pressure they face in technological innovation and industrial upgrading.

Green Transition Driven: Environmental Requirements as a Catalyst for the Industry

With increasingly stringent environmental policies, the green transformation of the paper bag machine industry has become an inevitable trend.

As a major industrial province, Shandong Province actively responds to the national "dual carbon" strategy. Its "Three-Year Action Plan for Strengthening Manufacturing Cities" clearly requires that by 2025, the usage rate of biodegradable packaging materials in the province should be increased to 30% .

This policy has directly driven enterprises to shift to green production, creating a broad market space for environmentally friendly paper bag machinery.

Policy guidance is forcing the packaging industry to undergo green transformation.

According to industry observations, the "Innovative Environmentally Friendly Materials Zone" set up at the 2025 Shandong Printing Exhibition attracted more than 60 green technology companies to participate , with signed contracts for products such as water-based inks and bio-based materials exceeding 120 million yuan.

The promotion and application of these environmentally friendly materials cannot be separated from the corresponding upgrading of paper bag machinery and equipment, which has brought new growth points to the industry.

The government's policies in the field of environmental protection are not limited to restrictions, but also include substantial financial support.

Local governments are promoting the upgrading of traditional industries by providing technological upgrading subsidies (up to 5 million yuan per enterprise) and raising industry entry thresholds.

This encourages paper bag machine manufacturers to increase their investment in environmental protection technology research and development, produce equipment that meets green standards, and seize market opportunities.

Standardization: Regulating industry quality and safety

Standardization is an important guarantee for the healthy development of the industry, and the country is continuously strengthening policy guidance in this regard.

In August 2025, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration of China issued the national standard "Test Conditions for Packaging Bags Part 1: Paper Bags" (GB/T 45850.1-2025) .

This standard provides a unified specification for the production and testing of paper bags and will be officially implemented on November 1, 2025. It sets forth clear requirements for the manufacturing of paper bag machinery and the quality of paper bag products.

This national standard applies to all types of empty paper bags and describes complete methods for conditioning the environment and samples before and during testing.

The implementation of the standard will prompt paper bag machine manufacturers to strictly design and manufacture equipment in accordance with the specifications, ensuring that the paper bags produced meet the national unified standards, thereby improving the product quality level of the entire industry.

Standardization policies not only regulate product quality but also point the way for enterprises to upgrade their technology.

With the successive introduction and updating of such national standards, the paper bag machine industry will face new technical requirements and equipment upgrade needs, which presents both challenges and opportunities for equipment manufacturers.

Technological innovation incentives: driving the intelligent upgrading of industries

Technological innovation is the core driving force for industry development, and the country is using various policies to encourage the paper bag machine industry to transform towards intelligentization.

The Ministry of Finance clearly stated in its report on the implementation of fiscal policies in the first half of 2025 that [ the central government has allocated 398.119 billion yuan for science and technology expenditures in 2025 ], an increase of 10% over the previous year.

These funds are further focused on basic research, applied basic research, and national strategic science and technology tasks, providing financial support for technological innovation in the manufacturing industry, including paper bag machines.

The state supports the implementation of high-quality development initiatives for key manufacturing industrial chains to promote industrial transformation and upgrading.

Specifically in the paper bag machine industry, this means that companies can obtain more policy support to carry out intelligent transformation and digital transformation, thereby improving production efficiency and product competitiveness.

At the local level, for example, Dongguang County held a symposium on the development of the cardboard packaging machinery industry, which clearly stated that it is necessary to "adhere to innovation-driven development, deepen the integration of industry, academia and research, and promote the deep integration of new-generation information technology and manufacturing industry".

The meeting also emphasized the need to innovate enterprise management models and introduce artificial intelligence into key aspects such as enterprise R&D, design, manufacturing, and operation management. These policy guidelines provide a clear direction for the innovative development of the paper bag machine industry.

Regional collaboration and industrial clustering: Optimizing industry layout

Regional coordinated development and industrial agglomeration policies are optimizing the layout of the paper bag machine industry and enhancing its overall competitiveness.

Taking Shandong Province as an example, three major printing and packaging industry clusters have been formed : the Jiaodong Economic Circle, the Luxi Green Packaging Belt, and the Jinan-Zibo High-end Manufacturing Axis.

This cluster-based development model helps paper bag machine companies integrate resources, reduce production costs, and improve market competitiveness.

The improved international logistics channels have also facilitated the paper bag machine industry's expansion into international markets.

For example, Qingdao Port optimized its cross-border transportation network through the "China-Europe Railway Express + Exhibition Special Train" model, operating 1,017 China-Europe Railway Express trains in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 17.8%.

This significantly reduces logistics costs and enhances international competitiveness for the paper bag machine industry, which relies on imports and exports.

Regional coordinated development policies are also reflected in support for industrial transfer and absorption .

For example, Lianyungang Xuwei New Area is favored by paper companies due to its superior geographical location and competitive steam and electricity resources.

These policies have created conditions for paper bag machine companies to optimize their production layout and help form a more complete industrial chain and supply chain system.

Market demand drives: indirectly promoting industry development

The government's policy of expanding domestic demand has indirectly boosted the market demand for paper bag machines.

In the first half of 2025, the central government will allocate 300 billion yuan of ultra-long-term special treasury bonds to support the trade-in of old consumer goods and further expand the scope of subsidies.

In the first half of the year, the trade-in program boosted sales of 1.6 trillion yuan. This policy significantly stimulated the consumer market, increased demand for packaging, and consequently drove investment in paper bag machines.

The activation of the county and township consumer markets has also created new growth opportunities for the paper bag machine industry.

In 2025, the central government allocated a total of 7.279 billion yuan for service industry development , of which 4.479 billion yuan was allocated to support county-level commercial development initiatives in 27 provinces, including Hebei and Shanxi.

These measures have effectively unleashed the consumption potential of counties and townships. In the first half of 2025, the market size of counties and townships accounted for 38.9% of the total retail sales of consumer goods, expanding the capacity of the packaging market.

The government has also directly boosted demand for high-end paper bag machines by supporting new technological transformations in the manufacturing industry .

In 2025, the state selected and supported 26 cities, including Dongguan, Yantai, and Wuxi, to carry out the second batch of pilot cities for new technological transformation of manufacturing.

These policies guide enterprises to carry out technological transformation and upgrading, which naturally includes upgrading the packaging process, bringing new business opportunities to the paper bag machine industry.

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Policy benefits are creating a synergistic effect in the paper bag machine industry . With stricter environmental requirements and increased demand for equipment upgrades, paper bag machine companies that align with national policy guidelines will enjoy broader development prospects.

Industry experts point out that the next five years will be a critical period for the transformation and upgrading of the paper bag machine industry. Those companies that keep up with policy trends and make early arrangements for intelligent manufacturing and green production will gain an advantageous position in the new round of market competition.

Only by accurately grasping policy trends can we seize the initiative in this industry transformation.