Logistics to go "greener" in Chinese coastal province

China's eastern coastal province of Zhejiang should take the lead in going "greener" in logistics, the provincial legislators and political advisors said Tuesday.

Zhejiang, known for its private businesses and home to e-commerce giant Alibaba, should promote economical packaging standards against over-packaging, said Cong Yanqing, deputy to the Provincial People's Congress, at the annual session of the congress.

Cong said more environmentally-friendly packing materials should be introduced in Zhejiang, as the province's express delivery market has grown rapidly over the years.

A number of cities in Zhejiang have welcomed the idea of "going paperless" with their delivery services, said Tong Wenhong, member of the provincial committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chief Personnel Officer of Alibaba.

Moreover, more cities have joined the campaign of recycling the packaging waste with rewards, said Tong. "During last year's Single's Day on Nov. 11, 13 million cardboard boxes were recycled in Alibaba's 5,000 recycling stations located in 200 cities," said Tong.

According to official figures, the volume of parcel express delivery in China reached 50.5 billion last year, a year-on-year increase of 25.8 percent