Recently, China Resources Recycling Group Co., Ltd. was officially established, with shareholders including Sinopec, China Baowu Steel Group, China Minmetals, China Resources Group, and China Aluminum Corporation among other central enterprises.
*This article is compiled from online sources
Editor | Soy Sauce
Developing a circular economy is a major strategy for the economic and social development of our country. Since the introduction of the concept of a circular economy, after more than twenty years of exploration and practice, China has become the country with the largest scale and the widest range of circular economy practices in the world. Zhao Chenxin, a member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, previously stated that the National Development and Reform Commission will cooperate with relevant departments to effectively manage the recycling and circular utilization of waste, accelerate the establishment of a waste recycling system covering all fields and links, continuously smooth the resource recycling chain, and promote the realization of “easier to replace the old, more convenient to exchange for the new.”
The Recycling Wave in the Energy Industry
Waste refers to materials or items discarded at different stages of the economic and social system, which have partially or completely lost their original use value, possessing both resource and pollution attributes. Under the premise of technical, economic, and environmental feasibility, through effective utilization, waste can be transformed into valuable resources. Waste recycling is an important component of the circular economy. General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the work of waste recycling, emphasizing the need to pay more attention to the recycling of resources, promote waste classification and resource utilization, expand the use of domestic solid waste, and accelerate the establishment of a waste recycling system. With the adjustment of China’s energy structure, digital transformation, and modernization of industry, the new energy industry represented by new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products has developed rapidly, forming a considerable scale. While these industries are seen as new economic drivers, their expansion has also brought significant recycling pressure. In recent years, the production capacity of new energy vehicles has rapidly expanded, leading to a continuous increase in the number of retired power batteries. The scarcity of metal resources such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, copper, and aluminum in lithium batteries has also driven rapid growth in the battery recycling sector. Meanwhile, wind and solar power generation equipment is facing similar situations. By the end of 2023, the cumulative installed capacity of wind power equipment in China reached 440 million kilowatts, and the cumulative installed capacity of photovoltaic modules reached 609 million kilowatts. It is expected that within the next three to five years, there will be a large-scale wave of retirements, with the theoretical retirement volume of wind turbine blades and photovoltaic modules reaching 1.5 million tons by 2030. In addition, this year’s large-scale equipment updates and the replacement of old consumer goods will also eliminate a large number of old products and equipment, providing more raw material sources for the resource recycling industry and further expanding the market space for the waste recycling industry, thereby strengthening the scale of the resource recycling industry.
Local Waste Recycling Policies
Carbon Vision summarized the relevant content worth noting in the energy industry from the waste recycling system implementation plans issued by cities and provinces such as Tianjin, Shanxi, Shandong, and Fujian, as follows:
Main Goals
Tianjin
By 2027, the number of recycling points for renewable resources will exceed 3,000, and the number of sorting centers for renewable resources will exceed 25. Create 1 to 3 distinctive second-hand goods trading industrial clusters, cultivate a batch of demonstration enterprises for renewable resource recycling and backbone enterprises for resource recycling. The annual utilization capacity of major renewable resources such as scrap steel, scrap copper, scrap aluminum, scrap lead, scrap zinc, waste paper, waste plastic, waste rubber, waste glass, and retired power batteries will reach over 8 million tons. The comprehensive utilization rate of general industrial solid waste will remain above 98%, the resource utilization rate of urban construction waste will reach 32%, and the comprehensive utilization rate of crop straw will remain above 98%. The annual output value of the resource recycling industry will reach 12.5 billion yuan.
Shanxi
By 2025, the annual utilization of industrial solid waste such as coal gangue, fly ash, smelting slag, industrial by-product gypsum, and tailings will reach over 200 million tons, the comprehensive utilization rate of construction waste will exceed 60%, the comprehensive utilization rate of straw will reach 90%, and the newly added comprehensive utilization rate of bulk solid waste will reach 60%. The annual processing capacity of major renewable resources such as scrap steel, scrap copper, scrap aluminum, scrap lead, scrap zinc, waste paper, waste plastic, waste rubber, and waste glass will exceed 19 million tons, and the annual output value of the resource recycling industry will reach 110 billion yuan.
Shandong
By 2025, the newly added comprehensive utilization rate of bulk solid waste will reach 60%, the annual recycling volume of major renewable resources such as scrap steel, scrap copper, scrap aluminum, scrap lead, scrap zinc, waste paper, waste plastic, waste rubber, and waste glass will grow by about 6%, the standardized recycling and dismantling volume of scrapped vehicles will reach 500,000 units annually, and the annual recycling volume of waste household appliances will increase by 15% compared to 2023. By 2030, the annual utilization of bulk solid waste will reach 200 million tons.
Fujian
By 2025, the annual utilization of bulk solid waste will reach above the national average level.
Efficient Utilization of Renewable Resources
Tianjin
Encourage renewable resource processing and utilization enterprises to cooperate with large steel, paper, and plastic processing enterprises to promote the reasonable extension of the deep processing industrial chain of renewable resources. Increase the promotion and application of advanced processing and utilization technology and equipment for renewable resources, and improve the mechanization, informatization, and intelligence level of production processes. Strengthen the management of new electrical and electronic waste, and promote the standardized recycling and utilization of new electrical and electronic waste.
Shanxi
In Changzhi, Taiyuan, Datong, Xinzhou, Lüliang, Yuncheng, and Yangquan, plan and layout a number of industrial clusters for the deep processing and utilization of renewable resources such as scrap steel, scrap non-ferrous metals, and waste rubber. Encourage renewable resource processing and utilization enterprises to extend the processing industrial chain and implement green and intelligent quality improvement transformations. Accelerate the construction of urban domestic sewage treatment and reclaimed water utilization facilities. Plan and layout reclaimed water distribution facilities reasonably according to local conditions. Build sewage resource utilization facilities based on actual needs.
Shandong
Strengthen the large-scale, standardized, and clean utilization of renewable resources such as scrap steel, scrap non-ferrous metals, waste paper, and waste plastic, and cultivate deep processing industrial clusters for renewable resources. Accelerate the upgrading of sewage treatment facilities, plan and build reclaimed water reuse and sewage recycling facilities according to local conditions, and promote the elimination of combined sewer systems in urban built-up areas. Actively promote the construction of sludge resource utilization facilities.
Fujian
Support the construction of key projects for waste recycling, promote the integrated development of urban and rural renewable resource recycling, support the research and application of advanced technologies for renewable resource recycling, and encourage enterprises to use information technology to achieve organic integration of online and offline waste recycling. Develop the deep processing industrial chain of renewable resources, promote the fine dismantling and utilization of scrapped vehicles, waste household appliances, and old aircraft. Gradually promote the high-quality development of the remanufacturing industry, improve the relevant technical quality standards and production specifications for product remanufacturing. Implement the upgrading and capacity expansion of existing sewage treatment facilities, promote the construction of reclaimed water and seawater recycling projects. Promote the recycling of retired wind and photovoltaic equipment and establish a responsibility mechanism for the disposal of retired equipment by wind and photovoltaic power generation enterprises. Promote the recycling of waste in new infrastructure fields such as data centers and communication base stations.
New Waste Recycling
Tianjin
Strengthen the traceability management of new energy vehicle power batteries, promote the application of in-use power battery testing and evaluation systems, and improve the technical level of residual energy detection, residual value assessment, and reorganization utilization. Strengthen the management of the cascade utilization of new energy vehicle power batteries, implement the main responsibility of cascade utilization enterprises, and encourage the adoption of business models that facilitate the recycling of cascade products, promoting the standardized development of the power battery recycling industry. Gradually promote the updating of equipment in fields such as data centers and communication base stations, and promote the recycling of waste in new infrastructure fields. Ensure that wind and photovoltaic power generation enterprises fulfill their responsibilities for the disposal of retired equipment and promote the recycling of retired wind and photovoltaic equipment.
Shanxi
Improve the management mechanism for the upgrading and retirement of wind and photovoltaic equipment. Promote power generation enterprises to improve the management system for the retirement of wind and photovoltaic equipment and enhance the efficiency of disposing of retired assets. Encourage photovoltaic and wind power production enterprises to implement green design and extend the industrial chain. Promote the recycling of waste in new infrastructure fields such as data centers and communication base stations.
Shandong
Establish and improve the responsibility mechanism for the disposal of retired equipment by wind and photovoltaic power generation enterprises, explore the establishment of a producer responsibility extension system for wind and photovoltaic equipment, and explore the remanufacturing of high-end equipment in the wind and photovoltaic field. Strengthen the management of new electrical and electronic waste, and strictly implement environmental management policies such as the qualification licensing for the disposal of waste electrical and electronic products.
Energy Utilization of Waste
Tianjin
Gradually promote the construction of kitchen waste treatment facilities, enhance the energy and resource utilization level of kitchen waste such as waste grease. Promote the energy development and utilization of agricultural and forestry biomass according to local conditions. Develop performance grading indicators for the municipal solid waste incineration power generation industry, and under the premise of complying with relevant laws, regulations, environmental and safety standards, and ensuring technical feasibility and controllable environmental risks, gradually promote the coordinated disposal of some solid waste in municipal solid waste incineration facilities.
Shanxi
Accelerate the construction of municipal solid waste incineration facilities in counties (cities), implement the “Shanxi Province Solid Waste Incineration Power Generation Medium and Long-term Special Plan (2023 Revision)” (Jin Development and Reform Resource and Environment [2023] No. 208), and fill the gaps in the incineration treatment facilities for municipal solid waste in counties (cities). According to scientific assessment and moderate advance principles, actively promote the construction of kitchen waste treatment facilities. Promote the energy development and utilization of agricultural and forestry biomass according to local conditions, and steadily advance the diversified development and utilization of biomass energy.
Shandong
Strengthen the construction of environmental infrastructure, explore the coordinated disposal of municipal solid waste incineration facilities with urban domestic sewage sludge, general industrial solid waste, and emergency disposal of medical waste, and gradually promote the construction of kitchen waste treatment facilities. Leverage the role of pilot cities for green and low-carbon transformation of energy in the province, and gradually promote the energy utilization and clean utilization of biomass resources.
Fujian
Under the premise of complying with relevant laws, regulations, environmental and safety standards, and ensuring technical feasibility and controllable environmental risks, gradually promote the coordinated disposal of some solid waste in municipal solid waste incineration facilities. Accelerate the filling of gaps in the incineration treatment capacity of municipal solid waste in county-level areas. Encourage localities to gradually promote the construction of kitchen waste treatment facilities. Steadily advance the development and utilization of agricultural and forestry biomass, and orderly develop biomass liquid fuels mainly made from waste grease and non-grain biomass.
Resource Recycling Production Model
Tianjin
Deeply implement the circular transformation of industrial parks, actively promote the construction of eco-industrial parks, promote the cascading utilization of energy, recycling of water resources, and comprehensive utilization of solid waste within enterprises, parks, and industries, and strengthen the recovery and resource utilization of industrial residual pressure, waste heat, waste gas, and waste liquid. Legally promote mandatory clean production audits, encourage enterprises to conduct voluntary clean production audits, and promote more than 200 enterprises to conduct clean production audits by 2027.
Shanxi
Carry out the circular transformation of industrial parks, promote green and low-carbon circular development in parks. Continuously and actively promote the construction of eco-industrial parks. Strengthen clean production audits and the application of results in key industries. Promote the cascading utilization of energy, recycling of water resources, and comprehensive utilization of solid waste in enterprises, and strengthen the resource utilization of residual pressure, waste heat, waste gas, and waste liquid. Deepen the construction of green mines. Promote green mining of coal, strengthen the construction of standard systems, and guide coal mines to explore and apply green mining technology routes according to local conditions. Support the exploration and application of carbon dioxide resource utilization and carbon fixation technology models.
Shandong
Promote the cascading utilization of energy, recycling of water resources, and comprehensive utilization of solid waste within enterprises, parks, and industries, and strengthen the resource utilization of industrial residual pressure, waste heat, waste gas, and waste liquid. Encourage the construction of comprehensive energy projects that coordinate electricity, heat, cold, and gas. Promote the upgrading of circular transformation in parks. Actively promote the construction of eco-industrial parks.
Fujian
Encourage enterprises within parks and industries to adopt advanced process technologies and equipment to effectively recover and resource waste water, waste gas, and waste liquid generated during production. Implement the requirements of the national circular economy development guidelines for the manufacturing industry, strengthen clean production audits and the application of results in key industries. Encourage enterprises, universities, and research institutions to explore carbon dioxide resource utilization and carbon fixation technology application models. Promote the recycling of strategic mineral resources and advance the construction of green mines. Promote the circular transformation of qualified parks.
Recycling of Retired Power Batteries
Shanxi
Strengthen the traceability management of retired power batteries from new energy vehicles, promote the construction of utilization projects for retired power batteries, and enhance the standardized disposal capacity of power batteries. Implement the product certification system for cascade utilization of power batteries and promote the quality certification of cascade utilization products. Carry out joint special inspections to clean up the “workshop-style recycling” of retired power batteries and strengthen environmental supervision of the collection and utilization processes of hazardous waste such as waste lead-acid batteries.
Shandong
Strengthen the management of the entire process flow of power battery manufacturing, recycling, and utilization. Improve the recycling system for retired power batteries and promote the accelerated development of recycling enterprises that meet the conditions for power battery recycling. Guide the standardized development of comprehensive utilization enterprises for retired power batteries and promote resource utilization, scaling, and high-value utilization. Promote the quality certification of cascade utilization products for power batteries.
Fujian
Encourage power battery enterprises to actively carry out product carbon footprint certification and guide leading enterprises to actively participate in the formulation of international standards for power battery recycling. Improve the traceability management system for the recycling and utilization of new energy vehicle power batteries, guide the standardized and large-scale development of retired power battery recycling, and promote the coordinated development of upstream and downstream industries. Promote the quality certification of cascade utilization products for power batteries and implement technical specifications for recycling and dismantling enterprises for retired power batteries. According to national deployment, carry out joint special inspections to clean up the “workshop-style recycling” of retired power batteries.
Promotion and Application of Recycled Materials
Tianjin
Promote the certification of recycled materials. Implement government green procurement demand standards, actively purchase recycled materials and products included in the government green procurement scope. In conjunction with the implementation of the producer responsibility extension system, carry out actions to upgrade the application of recycled materials, guiding production enterprises of automobiles, electrical appliances, and electronic products to increase the proportion of recycled materials used. Encourage enterprises to include the application of recycled materials in their social responsibility.
Shanxi
Advance the formulation of provincial local standards in the fields of promotion and application of recycled materials and waste recycling. Implement the national recycled materials certification system and promote the application of recycled materials. Increase government green procurement efforts and actively purchase recycled resource products. Encourage enterprises to include the application of recycled materials in their social responsibility. Support qualified enterprises to orderly participate in or lead the formulation of national rules and standards for product carbon footprints.
Shandong
Accelerate the establishment of a system for promoting the use of recycled materials, implement a grading quality control and labeling system for recycled resources, and expand the market application channels for recycled raw materials. Implement the government green procurement demand standards formulated by the Ministry of Finance, increasing government green procurement efforts for recycled materials and products that meet the regulations. Encourage state-owned enterprises to procure green products in accordance with laws and regulations.
Product Carbon Footprint Management
Tianjin
Research and analyze the potential impact of global carbon pricing trends on the city’s export trade, promote enterprises in industries such as automobiles, new energy vehicle power batteries, and steel to explore the establishment of a full lifecycle carbon footprint accounting model, strengthen product carbon footprint management, carry out green design for materials and components that are easy to recycle, disassemble, and regenerate, increase the use of recycled materials, strengthen the recycling of waste products, reduce product carbon emissions, and enhance international competitiveness.
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