BEIJING — China will promote the green development of the postal and courier industry in 2022 with the wider application of recyclable express delivery packaging and new energy vehicles, in a bid to reduce pollution and carbon emissions, postal authorities said on Jan 6.

The country will roll out policies to standardize packaging operations, reduce over packaging, and encourage the recycle of packaging boxes, Ma Junsheng, head of the State Post Bureau, said at the bureau's annual work conference.

A total of 10 million recyclable packing boxes will be used next year, and 700 million corrugated boxes will be reused, according to the conference.

The industry will use more new-energy and clean-energy vehicles and explore the construction of green distribution centers, he added.

China's courier industry is expected to see a total of 1.04 trillion yuan (about $163.19 billion) in revenue in 2021, up 18 percent from a year ago, with the number of parcels handled soaring 30 percent year-on-year to 108.5 billion, data from the bureau shows.

By the end of 2022, the courier service will basically cover all administrative villages in China, Ma said, adding logistics infrastructure will be bolstered in rural areas.

More measures will be taken to help the courier industry better serve the advanced manufacturing sector and encourage delivery firms to establish strategic cooperation with leading manufacturers.

China will further boost the quality of services in the industry, strengthen market regulation, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of post and courier workers, Ma said.