Greening Industrial Production through Waste Recovery: “Comprehensive Utilization of Resources” in China

Abstract

Using nonhazardous wastes as inputs to production creates environmental benefits by avoiding disposal impacts, mitigating manufacturing impacts, and conserving virgin resources. China has incentivized reuse since the 1980s through the "Comprehensive Utilization of Resources (CUR)" policy. To test whether and to what extent environmental benefits are generated, 862 instances in Jiangsu, China are analyzed, representing eight industrial sectors and 25 products that qualified for tax relief through CUR. Benefits are determined by comparing life cycle inventories for the same product from baseline and CUR-certified production, adjusted for any difference in the use phase. More than 50 million tonnes of solid wastes were reused, equivalent to 51% of the provincial industrial total. Benefits included reduction of 161 petajoules of energy, 23 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, 75 000 tonnes of SO2 equivalent, 33 000 tonnes of NOX, and 28 000 tonnes of PM10 equivalent, which were 2.5%-7.3% of the provincial industrial consumption and emissions. The benefits vary substantially across industries, among products within the same industry, and when comparing alternative reuse processes for the same waste. This first assessment of CUR results shows that CUR has established a firm foundation for a circular economy, but also suggest additional opportunities to refine incentives under CUR to increase environmental gain.

Authoritarian but responsive:Local regulation of industrial energy efficiency inJiangsu,China

“…Regulators in areas with a less developed economy, for example, were more responsive to firms that would make great contributions to local tax revenue (Cement 3 and 5), while regulators in or around urban areas were more responsive to firms that could provide services in waste management (Cement 1 and 2) and utilities (Steel 3). From 2006 to 2010, industrial waste reuse in municipality A gradually evolved from a contribution that cement firms made to the local community to a normal practice, because more firms realized the potential profit and policy preference regarding waste reuse (Zhu & Chertow ) and became involved in the business. During the same time, reuse of municipal solid waste and sludge from water treatment plants became an essential contribution cement firms could make.…”

Suggested use? On evidence‐based decision‐making in industrial ecology and beyond

“…When the evidence is straightforward and applicable, it can certainly be used directly to assist decision‐making. LCA that reveals varying levels of waste reuse benefits across different subsidized reuse activities, for example, would suggest a more refined subsidy scheme corresponding to the reuse benefits (Zhu & Chertow, 2016). When the evidence is straightforward but not directly applicable, it can be used to facilitate conceptual learning and redefine environmental issues and strategies.…”

Towards a Data Classification Model for Circular Product Life Cycle Management

“…Last, during the production process, the decisions to be taken regard the goal to sustain cleaner production processes. In line with that, the industrial waste generated should be analysed in order to evaluate whether to reuse waste [38] or sell it as a resource to someone else establishing for instance industrial symbiosis [39]. Wrapping up, at product BoL, product features should be thought to encounter all the next stages emerging requirements.…”