BEIJING: The significant advancement of China’s circular economy has emerged as a crucial driver of the nation’s sustainability efforts, contributing to 25 percent of the country’s overall carbon emission reduction, a senior climate expert said.
Zhu Liyang, a member of China’s National Expert Panel on Climate Change, also noted that despite entering the circular economy arena relatively late, the country has risen to become a global giant in the field.
“After over 20 years of development, China has made remarkable progress in promoting its circular economy,” said Zhu, who is also president of the China Association of Circular Economy, in an interview with China Daily on the sidelines of the ongoing COP29 United Nations climate change conference.
The UN gathering of almost 200 countries kicked off in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov 11 and is slated to conclude on Friday.
Zhu especially noted China’s efforts to promote the transformation of industrial parks across the country — which contribute to 30 percent of the country’s carbon emissions — to help them better cater to circular development.
He said the coupling of upstream and downstream industrial chains is one of the priorities, with an aim to optimize the recycling and use of waste resources to establish a robust new industrial chain that bolsters the circular economy.
Thanks to such efforts, China used 4 billion metric tons of bulk solid waste in 2023, and the usage rate of newly added solid waste that year was nearly 60 percent, he added.
“This is a very remarkable achievement,” he said.
Bulk solid waste refers to large quantities of solid waste materials that are typically generated by industrial processes, construction activities or other sources.
This type of trash is usually heavy and not easily compacted.
China recycled 260 million tons of steel waste in 2023, he said, and of that, 220 to 230 million tons were used as scrap for steel making.
The practice has shortened the steel production process, contributing significantly to the reduction of energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, Zhu said.
“Once a laggard in circular economic development, it has swiftly caught up with leading nations and now spearheads the field, all within a mere 20-year span,” he remarked.
The United States and European countries embarked on circular economy initiatives much earlier, he said. In his recent discussions with representatives from these countries, however, he found many of them expressed eagerness to glean insights from China’s experiences.
Zhu highlighted the significant potential of online electronics recycling platforms to boost China’s circular economy. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
