Chapter I General Provisions

Article 1 The Law is formulated for the purpose of facilitating circular economy, raising resources utilization efficiency, protecting and improving the environment and realizing sustainable development.

Article 2 The term "circular economy" herein is a general term for the activities of reducing, reusing and recycling in production, circulation and consumption.

Reducing herein means the reduction of the resource consumption and waste generation in production, circulation and consumption.

Reusing herein means the direct use of wastes as products, or the use of wastes as products after repair, renovation or reproduction, or the use of wastes, wholly or partly, as parts of other products.

Recycling herein means the direct use of wastes as raw materials, or after regeneration.

Article 3 Developing circular economy is an important strategy for the national economic and social development, thus, the following guidelines shall be adhered to: comprehensive planning, reasonable layout, taking measures according to local conditions, emphasis on actual effects, government promotion, market orientation, enterprise implementation and public participation.

Article 4 Development of circular economy shall be implemented on the basis of being feasible in technology, reasonable in economy and conductive to saving resources and protecting the environment in accordance with the priority of reduction.

In the process of waste reusing and recycling, efforts shall be made to guarantee production safety, ensure that the quality of products meets standards provided by the state, and avoid re-pollution.

Article 5 The general administration for promoting circular economy under the State Council shall be responsible for organizing, coordinating and regulating national circular economy development works; the environmental protection department and other competent departments under the State Council shall be responsible for regulation works concerning circular economy according to their functions respectively.

General administrations for developing circular economy under local people's governments above county level shall be responsible for organizing, coordinating and regulating works concerning circular economy development within their administrative jurisdictions; relevant departments for environmental protection under local people's governments above county level shall be responsible for regulation works concerning circular economy according to their functions respectively.

Article 6 Industrial policies formulated by the state shall meet the requirements for developing circular economy.

Contents about development of circular economy shall be included in any national economic and social development plans and any annual planning formulated by any people's government above county level, and any planning regarding environmental protection and science and technology development, etc. formulated by any relevant department under the people's governments above county level.

Article 7 The state encourages and supports research, development and promotion of science and technology regarding circular economy, as well as the publicity, education, popularization of scientific knowledge and international cooperation on circular economy.

Article 8 People's governments above county level shall establish a goal-responsibility system for circular economy development and take measures with respect to planning, finance, investment and government procurement, etc. to promote circular economy.

Article 9 Enterprises and public institutions shall establish a sound management system and take measures to reduce resource consumption as well as generation and discharge of wastes, and improve their reusing and recycling level of wastes.

Article 10 Citizens shall have a better sense of resource conservation and environmental protection, consume reasonably and save resources.

The state encourages and guides citizens to use products and recycle products featured by energy saving, water saving, material saving and environmental protection, and reduce the generation and discharge of wastes.

Citizens are entitled to reporting activities of wasting resources and destroying environment, to accessing official information on circular economy promotion, and to giving opinions and suggestions.

Article 11 The state encourages and supports trade associations to exert functions of technical guidance and services in developing circular economy. The people's government above county level may consign qualified trade associations or other social organizations to provide public services on the promotion of circular economy.

The state encourages and supports intermediary institutions, academies and other social organizations to conduct the publicity, technical promotion and consulting services concerning circular economy, so as to facilitate development of circular economy.

Chapter II Basic Administrative System

Article 12 The general administration for developing circular economy under the State Council shall formulate the national circular economy development plan with relevant departments for environmental protection under the State Council and promulgate and implement the plan upon approval of the State Council. The administrative departments of circular economy development under the people's governments at or above the level of districted city shall formulate the circular economy development plans of their administrative jurisdictions with relevant departments of environmental protection under the people's governments at the same level, and promulgate and implement the plan upon approval of the people's governments at the same level.

The circular economy development plan shall include objectives, applicable scopes, main contents, major tasks and safeguard measures, as well as indicators for resource output rates, waste reuse and recycling, etc.

Article 13 The people's governments at or above county level shall regulate and adjust the industrial structure in their administrative jurisdictions in accordance with control indicators of the discharge of main pollutants, construction land and total water supply volume for their administrative jurisdictions by the people's government at a higher level to facilitate development of circular economy.

New, reconstruction or expansion projects shall meet the requirements of the control indicators of discharge of main pollutants, construction land and total water supply volume for the administrative jurisdiction where they are located.

Article 14 The general administration for developing circular economy under the State Council shall establish and improve the assessment indicator system for circular economy with other relevant departments for statistics and environmental protection under the State Council.