With the increasing awareness of environmental protection, the environmental problems caused by plastic packaging materials have attracted more and more attention. Replacing plastics with paper has become one of the important development directions in the packaging industry.

Paper materials have remarkable advantages such as renewability, degradability, and easy recyclability, which can effectively reduce white pollution and conform to the concept of sustainable development. In the field of food packaging, paper packaging can achieve functions such as moisture-proof and oil-proof through coating and other technologies to ensure the safety of food storage and transportation. In the e-commerce and express delivery industries, packaging boxes and cushioning materials made of paper materials such as corrugated paper can meet the protection needs of most products, replacing traditional plastic foams and plastic bags, reducing the pressure on the environment.

However, there are also some challenges in the implementation of replacing plastics with paper. On the one hand, compared with plastics, the physical properties of paper have certain limitations, such as insufficient toughness and sensitivity to moisture, which may affect the packaging effect when packaging some heavy, fragile or high-humidity items. On the other hand, the energy consumption, water resource consumption and possible pollution problems in the paper production process also need to be effectively controlled and optimized to ensure the real environmental benefits from the perspective of the entire life cycle. In addition, replacing plastics with paper may lead to an increase in costs, including raw material costs, production process improvement costs and marketing costs, etc., which is a relatively large economic burden for some enterprises, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, and may affect their enthusiasm and participation.

In order to better promote the process of replacing plastics with paper in packaging materials, technological innovation is the key. Research and develop new papermaking technologies and paper treatment processes to improve the strength, toughness and moisture-proof performance of paper, and develop more cost-effective paper packaging materials, which can expand its application range and enhance its market competitiveness. At the same time, the government should provide policy guidance and support, such as tax incentives and financial subsidies, to encourage enterprises to increase their investment in the research and development and production of technologies for replacing plastics with paper, reduce the transformation costs of enterprises and enhance their enthusiasm. In addition, strengthening environmental protection publicity and education, improving consumers' awareness and acceptance of paper packaging, and forming a good social atmosphere of supporting the replacement of plastics with paper will also help to promote the wide application of this environmental protection measure in the field of packaging materials, and finally achieve the green and sustainable development of the packaging industry and make positive contributions to environmental protection.