Wang Wang: From the 14th Five-Year Plan to the 15th Five-Year Plan, the plastics comprehensive utilization industry has achieved leaps and bounds.- Jiaxing Fuda Chemical Fiber Factory

ChinaReplas report topics

Thoughts on the plastics comprehensive utilization industry planning during the 15th Five-Year Plan

Report Featured

Plastic pollution control is moving from "end cleaning" to "source design"; plastic recycling is moving from "low-value recycling" to "high-value regeneration". On the basis of the remarkable results achieved during the "14th Five-Year Plan", China's plastics comprehensive utilization industry will usher in a profound resource efficiency revolution during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.

1. The "14th Five-Year Plan" lays a solid foundation: perfect governance system and recycling scale world Frontier

During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China’s plastic pollution control achieved a historic leap:

The policy system is fully established: The "Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste" was revised and the "14th Five-Year Plan" plastic pollution control action plan was released, establishing a full-chain governance framework.

The recycling network covers urban and rural areas: 1,000 green sorting centers have been built, with urban and rural recycling coverage reaching 80% and 60% respectively, and the PET bottle recycling rate exceeding 90%.

Technology achieves multiple breakthroughs: Technologies such as AI intelligent sorting, bioenzymatic hydrolysis, and chemical recycling are gradually commercialized, promoting the industry to develop towards high efficiency, intelligence, and high value.

Fundamental changes in international roles: From the "world's waste plastic processing center" to a technology exporter and international standard setter, China's plan goes global.

2. The "15th Five-Year Plan": From "pollution control" to "efficiency enhancement", promote the reconstruction of the plastic resource recycling system

During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the industry will face the fundamental problem of "low resource efficiency" and promote six major changes:

Design Revolution: Shift from “not designed for recycling” to “designed for recycling (DfR)”;

Recycling closed loop: Shift from “throw away” to “consumer participation in recycling”;

Reuse: From "disposable" to "reusable";

Primary loop: Shift from "downgraded regeneration" to "bottle to bottle, car to car" high-value cycle;

Chemical cycle: Shift from "mainly incineration" to "chemical regeneration";

Mandatory use of recycled plastic: From "voluntary use" to "mandatory proportional use".

3. Clear goals: increase the recycling rate to 60% in 2030, and high-end recycled plastics to account for 30%

The “15th Five-Year Plan” has set clear development goals:

Full coverage of the recycling network: There is one recycling station for every 10 square kilometers in the city, and the recycling coverage rate in rural areas reaches 70%;

Comprehensive utilization rate has been greatly improved: The recycling rate has increased from about 40% to 60%, and the proportion of high-end recycled plastics has reached 30%;

Scaling chemical cycles: Build more than 10 10,000-ton demonstration projects, with chemical recycling accounting for 10%;

Increased industrial concentration: Cultivate 100 leading enterprises with an annual processing capacity of over 100,000 tons.

4. Key tasks: high proportion of recycled materials, DfR mechanism, chemical recycling and traceability system

To achieve the above goals, the industry will focus on the following key tasks:

R&D and application of high proportion of recycled materials: Promote the use of no less than 30% recycled materials in packaging, automobiles, home appliances and other industries;

DfR mechanism and reverse recycling network construction: Incorporate recycling concepts into the product design stage to build an integrated urban and rural recycling system;

Breakthroughs in chemical recycling technology: Focus on conquering low-value plastic cracking technology and improving resource conversion efficiency;

Establishment of traceability and certification system: Promote the construction of digital PCR factories and realize the traceability of the entire chain of recycled plastics.

5. Conclusion: From “residual value survival” to “value creation”, the plastics industry ushered in a new era

The "14th Five-Year Plan" solved the problem of "who will manage", and the "15th Five-Year Plan" will clarify "who will do it" - the responsible parties in all links of the industrial chain will participate together, and the system will shift from "encouragement" to "compulsion". Plastic is no longer just a "pollutant", but a recyclable, high-value "urban mineral".

China's plastics recycling industry is moving from a fragile foundation of "survival based on residual value" to a sustainable development path driven by "resource efficiency". A systemic change related to design, recycling, regeneration and responsibility has begun.