BEIJING -- China eliminated 21 billion paper courier waybills in 2017 as the country's delivery services became more environmentally friendly.

The whole courier delivery sector used about 40.06 billion waybills last year, with digital waybills accounting for about 80 percent, according to an industry report.

The digital waybills only require one small piece of paper, while traditional versions might use four to five pieces.

The courier sector also saved 6.4 billion meters of tape and 400 million big plastic bags for transit purposes.

To reduce emissions, about 13,000 new energy vehicles had been put into operation by express delivery firms by the end of June.

The State Post Bureau has been pushing the courier sector's green growth and it aims to reduce the sector's energy consumption by 50 percent in 2020 from the current level.