14th Five Year Plan on circular economy

Announced by China's National Development and Reform Commission on 7 July 2021, with the 14th Five Year Plan on Circular Economy, China aims to improve overall resource utilisation capacity, build a resource recycling industrial system, and develop the circular economy by 2025. The plan sets ambitious targets for resource productivity and recycling, while also emphasising the need for technological innovation and industry development in the battery recycling sector. 

Key Numerical Targets for recycling of critical minerals:

1. Increase resources productivity by 20% compared to 2020 levels.
2. Produce 20 million tonnes of recycled non-ferrous metals.
3. Increase the output value of the resource recycling industry to RMB 5 trillion (US$773 billion).

Key Tasks and Implementation Items:

1. Building a resource recycling industry system and improving resource utilisation efficiency.
2. Building a recycling system for waste materials and fostering a recycling-oriented society.
3. Promoting recycling in key areas such as urban areas and industrial parks.
4. Reusing large amounts of solid waste and construction waste.
5. Advancing technological innovation for the circular economy.
6. Promoting industrial equipment remanufacturing.
7. Recycling waste electronic and electrical equipment and waste plastics.
8. Promoting automobile life cycle management.
9. Reducing packaging waste from online products.
10. Recycling waste power batteries from new energy vehicles.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment are tasked with implementing activities related to waste power battery recycling, specifically to:

1. Establish a traceability management system for collection and recycling.
2. Create a recycling service network in collaboration with new energy vehicle manufacturers and waste power battery cascade utilisation companies.
3. Improve technology for residual capacity detection, repackaging, and safety management to promote cascade use of waste power batteries.
4. Disseminate advanced technologies for recycling and cascade use.
5. Systematise standards for waste power battery recycling.
6. Foster enterprises engaged in waste power battery recycling and promote industry development.

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