China Issues Its First Circular Economy Development Strategic Plan

[ppzhan Abstract] On January 23, 2013, the State Council issued the 'Notice on the Circular Economy Development Strategy and Immediate Action Plan', issuing in full the 'Circular Economy Development Strategy and Immediate Action Plan' (hereinafter referred to as the Development Strategy and Action Plan). The Development Strategy and Action Plan is the strategy plan for circular economy development formulated by China.

The Development Strategy and Action Plan points out that developing the circular economy is a major strategic decision of China, a major measure to advance ecological civilization construction, and the inevitable choice for accelerating the transformation of the economic development pattern, building a resource-conserving and environment-friendly society, and achieving sustainable development. The Development Strategy and Action Plan comprehensively summarizes the results China achieved in developing the circular economy during the 'Eleventh Five-Year' period, deeply analyzes the situation facing China's circular economy development in the coming period, and puts forward the overall requirements, main tasks and safeguard measures for China's circular economy development during the 'Twelfth Five-Year' period and beyond.

The Development Strategy and Action Plan proposes that, guided by Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of the 'Three Represents' and the Scientific Outlook on Development, implementing the basic national policies of conserving resources and protecting the environment, closely centering on accelerating the transformation of the economic development pattern, and aiming to raise the resource output rate, it is necessary to follow the principle of 'reduction, reuse and recycling, with reduction given priority', focus on building a circular industrial system, promoting the industrialization of resource recycling and pursuing green consumption, improve effective incentive and restraint mechanisms, accelerate the formation of a resource recycling system covering the whole society, build a resource-conserving and environment-friendly society, and raise the level of ecological civilization.

The medium- and long-term development goals for circular economy development proposed in the Development Strategy and Action Plan are: circular production methods are widely implemented, green consumption patterns are popularized, a resource recycling system covering the whole society is initially established, the resource output rate is greatly raised, and the capacity for sustainable development is significantly enhanced. The near-term goal (by the end of the 'Twelfth Five-Year' period) is: the output rate of major resources rises by 15%, and the total output value of the resource recycling industry reaches 1.8 trillion yuan.

The Development Strategy and Action Plan puts forward the key tasks for circular economy development: (1) Build a circular industrial system. Comprehensively implement circular production methods in the industrial field, promote cleaner production and reduction at the source, and achieve cascade utilization of energy, circular utilization of water resources, exchange utilization of waste, and economical and intensive use of land. (2) Build a circular agricultural system. In the agricultural field, promote economical resource utilization, cleaner production processes, circular industrial linkages and resource-based waste treatment, form a circular agricultural production mode in which farming, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery coexist, improve the rural ecological environment, and raise the comprehensive benefits of agriculture.

(3) Build a circular service industry system and give full play to the role of the service industry in guiding the establishment of green, low-carbon and circular consumption concepts and transforming consumption patterns. (4) Advance circular economy development at the social level, improve the recycling system, promote the industrialization of renewable resource utilization, develop remanufacturing, advance the resource-based utilization of kitchen waste, implement green building actions and green transportation actions, promote green consumption, implement the grand circular strategy, and accelerate the building of a circular society. (5) Carry out the 'ten, hundred, thousand' demonstration action for the circular economy, implement projects, create a hundred demonstration cities (counties), and cultivate a thousand demonstration enterprises and parks.

The Development Strategy and Action Plan requires that all regions and departments, from a strategic and overall perspective, fully understand the great significance of accelerating the development of the circular economy, fulfill their responsibilities, improve working mechanisms, strengthen coordination and cooperation, further intensify their efforts, and adopt effective measures to ensure the completion of all targets and tasks and comprehensively raise the level of ecological civilization.

—This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn); original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-361926.html