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Circular Economy in China: Scoping Study in the context of the Sino-German Environment Partnership and in cooperation with the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED)

Sustainable production and consumption
Waste management
Sustainable Products & Material Flows

The aim of this study is to support the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) in identifying relevant research questions and policy development in the field of the circular economy in China. The study includes an analysis of the feasibility of modelling of the ecological and socio-economic potential of implementing a implementation of a comprehensive circular economy in China (based on the experiences of the study "Model Germany circular economy"), the identification and prioritisation of environmentally relevant sectors for a circular economy in China, the defining research questions for follow-up projects and deriving policy recommendations for the implementation of a comprehensive circular economy in China.

Following the scoping study, the Öko-Institut also prepared a so-called Special Policy Study (SPS) as part of the work of the CCICED. The focus areas—textiles and the chemical industry—were addressed, as they are of significance for shaping and implementing the circular economy both in Germany and the EU, as well as in China and internationally. The main recommendations of the study are:

Promotion of circular design and improvement of market conditions for a circular-oriented textile production in order to counteract the fast fashion trend.
Development and scaling up of collection and sorting capacities, including the use of digital technologies to increase efficiency along the value chain.
Promotion of preparation for reuse, development of uniform standards, and expansion of various textile recycling technologies at an industrial scale.
Introduction and enforcement of export regulations for textile waste in order to minimize environmental and social risks in international waste trade.
Gradual introduction of quotas for recycled material content to systematically increase the use of secondary raw materials and strengthen the circularity of the textile sector.

The study contributes to the development of policy recommendations to promote the circular economy for the 15th five-year plan in China and strengthens the bilateral cooperation between China and Germany in the field of the circular economy within the framework of the Sino-German environment partnership.