Road to greater green consumption

New plan unveils concrete steps for institutions and individuals alike

China will improve green power consumption in leading private and State-owned companies involved in driving economic growth, according to an implementation plan for promoting green consumption released last month.

Green power refers to power generated from renewable resources.

Local authorities should set a minimum level of green power consumption for energy-intensive enterprises to ensure the use of green energy, according to the plan released by the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planner.

Local authorities are to instruct power grid operators to let users know when green power is available and encourage them to shift consumption to these periods.

On the premise that enough power is available, priority should be given to users with high levels of green power consumption.

The country will also continue to promote the development of smart photovoltaics and increase green power consumption by residents.

The plan proposed measures to develop green consumption in other key industries and sectors, including food, clothing, residential buildings and transportation.

"Green consumption requires that people practice green, low carbon philosophy throughout the process of consumption. Promoting green consumption is a profound change, important to boosting high-quality development," said Ha Zengyou, head of the NDRC's department of employment, income distribution and consumption, at a news conference last month.

Under the plan, green consumption patterns will become a conscious choice, and green and low-carbon products will become mainstream by 2030. A sound green consumption system, policies, and institutional mechanisms will also be established.

To achieve this goal, the plan seeks to improve standards of agricultural production, storage, transportation and processing to reduce waste. Authorities should strengthen supervision of food producers and catering operators to avoid unnecessary waste.

The plan encourages green consumption in the clothing industry by promoting the use of energy-saving printing, dyeing and waste fiber recycling equipment. Businesses, institutions and schools should encourage the wearing of green and low-carbon certified uniforms.

It also seeks to promote the large-scale development of green and low-carbon buildings. For example, construction companies should add energy conservation and environmental protection into plans for the renovation of neighborhoods.

Wang Bin, an official from the Ministry of Commerce, told the news conference that for the first three quarters of last year, about 25 percent more restaurants offered smaller dishes than normal on food delivery platforms to reduce waste. The number of people who bought takeaways without requesting disposable tableware exceeded 100 million.

During the Double Eleven (November 11) shopping festival period last year, sales volumes for energy-saving electric fans nearly tripled, while those for central air conditioners nearly doubled year-on-year.

In addition, the country will also vigorously promote new energy vehicles by removing restrictions on their purchase and building more charging, storage and hydrogen refueling infrastructure.

New energy vehicle sales have surged. Last year, China sold about 3.5 million new energy vehicles, 1.6 times more than the previous year. There were nearly 8 million new energy vehicles in the country, accounting for about half of the global number, said Wang Bin.

"The ministry has taken various measures to accelerate the purchase of green vehicles. For example, it promoted the elimination and renewal of diesel trucks, and supported withdrawal of high-emission vehicles from the market," Wang said.

The plan also included policies to support green consumption, among them proposals to improve the standard and certification system for green and low-carbon products and services.

Bo Yumin, an official from the State Administration for Market Regulation, said at the conference that the administration has issued certified product catalogs that include nearly 90 products.

"Green products refer to those that meet the requirements of resource conservation, environmental and consumer friendliness for their entire life cycle and process," Bo said.

"In terms of the selection of products for certification, priority is given to those that are closely related to food, clothing, housing, transportation, that have a great impact on health and the environment, and that have a certain market size and strong international demand," she said.

These include organic foods, textiles, automobiles and motorcycle tires, plastic products, washing products, construction materials, delivery packaging and electronic products.

Another policy offers targeted financial support to help improve the proportion of governmental purchases of green and low-carbon products, and encourages some areas to give appropriate subsidies or discounts on consumer goods including smart home appliances, green construction materials and other low-carbon products.

The plan further stated that the country will set up specialized green consumption guidance agencies and a national information platform, regularly publish lists of green and low-carbon products, and guides to facilitate purchasing by institutions and consumers.