China sends strongest signal yet on circular economy leadership

The announcement indicates how seriously China’s leaders are now taking the issue. The China Association of Circular Economy (CACE) will serve as an industry-wide platform for transformational change, with input from government officials, academicians and entrepreneurs.

According to CACE, the association will promote the idea of recycling and daily practice, and contribute to the nation’s efforts to develop a green economy.

CACE data shows that the gross output value of the circular economy grew by 15% on average from 2006 to 2010 in China, outpacing the nation’s general economic growth by 4 percentage points.

The association expects that the industry’s output will further expand to 1.8 trillion yuan (some 293bn US dollars) by 2015, from one trillion yuan in 2010.

“The circular economy has great potential and the development of it will boost the recycling of resources and sustainable economic growth,” said Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, the government’s major economic policy making body.

edie first picked up on China’s interest in the circular economy back in 2012 when the country announced it would develop a resource-efficient economy built upon cloed loop systems to meet key environmental goals by 2020.

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Maxine Perella