China Energy Outlook 2020 - Flipbook - Page 77
In 2017, NDRC launched the Voluntary Commitments Initiative, based on the model of
voluntary agreements used in a number of countries around the world, including China. The
initiative aims to get 100 enterprises to voluntarily participate in the program in which
enterprises pledge to implement national and local standards, achieve energy-savings targets,
and conduct energy retrofits through 2020. Enterprises that achieve their commitments will
receive positive public recognition and government endorsement.
On December 29, 2017, NDRC announced the 100 enterprises that have made pledges,
including 16 in the steel and non-ferrous metals industries, 16 in coal and electricity, 17 in the
petroleum, petrochemical, and chemical industries, 13 in building materials, 22 in
manufacturing, 6 in transport, 5 in the public sector, and 5 in e-commerce and retail (NDRC,
2019a). During the 2018 Energy Conservation Week, local provinces and cities organized a
Voluntary Commitments signing and recognition event where, for example, 24 companies from
Shiyan City of Hubei Province signed the Voluntary Commitments Initiative (NECC, 2018). In
April 2019, 15 companies were highlighted to showcase their progress towards their
commitments (NECC, 2019).
Clean Production Indicator Systems
Clean Production Indicator Systems are a key component of China’s clean production system
and are used to rank industrial facilities in terms of their level of clean production, from
domestically average to internationally advanced.
China’s clean production system consists of: 1) the Cleaner Production Promotion Law (2002), 2)
Regulations on Clean Production Evaluation (2004, revised in 2016), 3) more than 50 voluntary
industrial clean production standards, and 4) more than 30 clean production indicator systems.
These regulations, standards, and indicator systems focus on reducing wastes and promoting
resource utilization through adopting advanced technologies and improved management
practices (People’s Website, 2002).
Clean production indicator systems have been or are being developed for more than 30 heavy
industries, e.g., steel sector, printing, synthetic fibers, coal washing, and fertilizer
manufacturing. The indicator system covers five aspects of a “clean production process,”
including: production process and equipment, resource and energy consumption,
comprehensive utilization of resources, pollution controls, and clean production management.
Based on the scoring in each aspect, facilities can achieve one of three levels of clean
production: Level I - Internationally Advanced in Clean Production, Level II – Domestically
Advanced in Clean Production, and Level III – Domestically Average in Clean Production (NDRC,
2018c; NDRC, 2019b; NDRC, 2019c).
Green Manufacturing
Supporting Made in China 2025, the Green Manufacturing initiative aims to transition and
upgrade China’s traditional industries to be efficient, clean, and low-carbon using voluntary
efficiency targets, demonstration projects, and green lending.
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