China’s climate goals: Beijing aims to recycle 25 per cent of all textile waste, increase recycled fibre output by 2025
- Country hopes to greatly increase its recycling capability and have a waste textile recycling system ‘initially established’ by 2025
- Beijing’s guidelines show it plans to focus on raising public awareness and acceptance of upcycled fibres, Novetex Textiles’ Ronna Chao says
It hopes to greatly increase its recycling capability and have a waste textile recycling system “initially established” by 2025, according to a document jointly released by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the ministry of industry and information technology and the ministry of Commerce on Monday.
According to the document “Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Recycling of Waste Textiles”, the government hopes to have in place by 2030 a relatively complete system achieving a recycling rate of 30 per cent for waste textiles and producing 3 million tonnes of recycled fibre.
“With the continuous improvement in people’s living standards, more and more used clothing [is being put to waste], and the problem of recycling textile waste has become increasingly prominent,” Zhao Kai, vice-chairman of the China Association of Circular Economy, said in a statement on the NDRC’s website.
In 2020, China produced around 22 million tonnes of textile waste, and had a recycling rate of around 20 per cent, according to the NDRC. Around 1.5 million tonnes of recycled fibre was produced from textile waste that year.
Monday’s document will help to promote the development of a resource and waste material recycling industry and holds “great significance” in helping China achieve its goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, Zhao said.
