China Product Design & Circular Economy Domain

China's "Measures for the Evaluation and Administration of Eco-Design Products" is a framework aimed at reducing environmental impact across a product's entire lifecycle -- design, raw material sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, and disposal. It establishes green product design standards, clarifies evaluation criteria, and promotes a certification system for compliant products. It applies to a broad range of manufacturing sectors including home appliances, electronics, and automotive parts, and is a regulatory framework aimed at accelerating eco-design conformity assessment for products sold in China and greening the entire supply chain.

China's "Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste" is a powerful law requiring all manufacturing plants in China to properly sort, store, recycle, and treat industrial solid waste and hazardous waste. It is the legal foundation of China's distinctive green policy achieving "zero waste imports," and imposes fines of up to RMB 1 million (roughly JPY 20 million) for violations of proper on-site storage standards or for entrusting disposal to unlicensed operators. In addition, representatives of companies that improperly entrust waste disposal face administrative detention of up to 15 days.

China's "Plastic Restriction Order for the Prevention of Plastic Pollution," led by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, is a fundamental response to the worsening plastic waste problem. The policy aims to progressively ban or restrict the manufacture, sale, and use of single-use plastic products. It applies broadly across sectors including food service, delivery, hospitality, and retail, and specifically mandates a shift toward degradable plastics and the establishment of collection and recycling systems. It is a key element of China's environmental policy aimed at reducing environmental impact and accelerating resource circulation across the entire supply chain.

China's "Measures for the Administration of the Recovery of End-of-Life Motor Vehicles" (State Council Decree No. 715) and related mandatory national standards (GB) form a powerful set of regulations mandating the proper disposal of the rapidly growing volume of scrapped vehicles in China, management of hazardous substances (lead, mercury, etc.), and higher recovery rates for metal and plastic materials such as iron, aluminum, and copper. From 2025 to 2026, obligations for automakers to design for recyclability (Design for Recycling, DFR) across the vehicle lifecycle, and unified audit and environmental management standards for dismantlers, are being significantly strengthened, compelling green resource circulation across the entire automotive supply chain.

The "Regulations on the Administration of the Collection and Treatment of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment" is a regulatory framework aimed at ensuring the proper recycling of waste household appliances and environmental protection in China. It imposes strict obligations on producers, sellers, and recyclers of covered products (televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, PCs, etc.), spanning collection, dismantling, and resource recovery. Centered on the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), it is a key framework promoting the development of a circular economy by preventing illegal dumping of waste products and operating a recycling treatment fund.

An interim measure (Decree No. 73) jointly formulated by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and five other authorities -- the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Commerce, and the State Administration for Market Regulation -- to manage the recovery and comprehensive utilization of retired power batteries from new energy vehicles (NEVs). Promulgated January 16, 2026, and effective April 1, 2026. It requires power battery companies and NEV manufacturers to register with a unified national power battery traceability and information platform, assign codes and affix labels to individual batteries, and fulfill collection obligations under an extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme. It covers the entire lifecycle of power batteries -- production, sale, use, disposal, collection, and utilization. The measure is enacted under the legal basis of the Circular Economy Promotion Law of the People's Republic of China and the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste, among others.