The Environmental Protection Law at China’s environmental legislative system
China’s system of environmental legislation is established based on the Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China that was enacted in 1989. Under this law, other separate laws have been enacted for controlling pollution. Some of these laws are as follows:
China updated the Environmental Protection Law in 2015. This was the first major revisions. The revised law includes stricter punishments on polluters. It also allows non-governmental organizations to file environmental lawsuits against violators. The National People’s Congress revised other laws, including the Law on the Prevention and control of Air Pollution in 2018 and the Law on the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution in 2017. The Congress also adopted the Law on the Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution on August 31, 2018.
Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution was enacted in 1987 and amended in 1995, 2000, 2015 and 2018. This Law is formulated in order to prevent and control atmospheric pollution, protect and improve people’s environment and the ecological environment, safeguard human health, and promote the sustainable development of economy and society. The concentration of the discharged pollutants may not exceed the standards prescribed by the State and local authorities. The quality standards for products containing volatile organic compounds, such as coal, petroleum coke, biomass fuel, and coatings, fireworks and firecrackers, boilers, etc., are developed and the atmospheric environment protection requirements are specified.
The environmental legislative framework to protect the air pollution is as follows.
Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution
Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution is formulated in order to prevent and control water pollution, protecting and improving the environment, and safeguarding the safety of drinking water.
The environmental legislative framework to protect the water pollution is as follows.
Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution
Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste is the national primary law governing municipal and industrial waste management. This law lays out basic requirements for solid waste disposal for industrial facilities. It requires the specified facilities to get approval from the local environmental protection bureau for waste disposal plans prior to construction. The bureaus are also responsible for issuing permits for the collection, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste.
The environmental legislative framework on waste management is as follows.
Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste
Industrial chemicals are mainly regulated by the following regulations in China:
“Decree of the State Council No 591 Regulations on Safe Management of Hazardous Chemicals”
“Order of the Ministry of Environmental Protection No. 7 Environmental Management of New Chemical Substances”
Pursuant to article 15 of the Decree No 591, manufacturers of hazardous chemicals shall provide safety data sheet on the hazardous chemicals that are produced, post or affix a chemical safety label on the package. The contents in safety data sheet and chemical safety labels should meet the requirements of relevant national standards. The relevant standards in China are as follows:
On April 29, 2020, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China (MEE) issued the final Measures on Registrations of New Chemical Substances for Environmental Management under Ministry Order No. 12. The new Measures replaces the current 2010 version and comes into force on January 1, 2021, when the Order No.7 will be repealed.
Same as the current version, the new Measures require manufacturers and importers to register new chemical substances with MEE before placing the new chemical substances on the Chinese market. They also introduce a notification process for new uses of existing listed substances.
Law on the Safety of Hazardous Chemicals (Revision draft for solicitation of comments)
In order to strengthen the safety management of hazardous chemicals, prevent and reduce hazardous chemical accidents, the Ministry of Emergency Management organized the consultation on the draft of the “Law on the Safety of Hazardous Chemicals”, which had been open to the public comments until 1 November, 2020. If approved, it will replace Decree No. 591.
The draft law is applicable to the safety management of the production, storage, use, operation, transportation and disposal of hazardous chemicals. It consists of 11 chapters (Article 137), and based on the lessons learned from the explosion accident, “Safety of hazardous chemical disposal” etc. was added to clarify the responsibility for safety supervision of the disposal (Disposal safety). The State implements a hazardous chemical registration system.
Framework of EHS laws and regulations in China.
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On Oct. 1, 2022, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management published a production safety industry standard called the Guidelines for Chemical Process Safety Management (AQ/T 3034-2022), which will come into effect …
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On Oct. 22, 2022, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment and State Administration for Market Regulation issued four national standards for air pollutant emission control: the Emission Standard of Air …
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On Nov. 10, 2022, China’s National Development and Reform Commission issued a circular on energy efficiency levels of 20 types of key energy-using products and equipment, including air conditioners, refrigerators, …
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China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released a draft revision of a China RoHS-related industry standard called “Marking for the Restricted Use of Hazardous Substances in Electronic and Electrical …
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China’s Zhongguancun Inspection, Testing and Certification Industry Technology Alliance released an association standard called “Automotive industry control of key chemical substances — Part 1:Application guidelines”, which came into effect Oct. …
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On Dec. 30, 2022, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the 2023 List of Key Controlled New Pollutants. It was issued as part of the Action Plan on Controlling …
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On Nov. 25, 2022, the Standing Committee of Beijing Municipal People’s Congress issued Municipal Regulations on Water Conservation, which will come into effect March 1, 2023. These regulations set out …
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On Nov. 25, 2022, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published draft experimental measures for the oversight of wastewater outlets into the sea to seek public comments, which were accepted …
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On Oct. 1, 2022, a national recommended standard of China called the General Specification for Children’s Case and Bag (GB/T 41002-2022) came into effect. It was issued back on March …
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On Nov. 1, 2022, China’s National Development and Reform Commission and National Bureau of Statistics announced that energy used in material manufacturing is excluded from the country’s energy consumption limit …
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The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China convened on October 16, 2022, and lit the way towards a new era of ecological civilization. The report delivered to …
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On Oct. 12, 2022, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation issued a national standard called “Green product assessment—Kitchen and sanitary ware fittings” (GB/T 42065-2022), which will come into effect May …
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On October 17, 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission of China released the “Implementation Rules for Energy Efficiency Labeling of Multi-Connected Air Conditioners” (Revised version) and “Implementation Rules for …
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On Nov. 8, 2022, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Jiangsu province, China, released a draft plan for new pollutant control to seek public comments, which were accepted until …
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On Oct. 12, 2022, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published a national recommended standard called “Air Cleaner” (GB/T 18801-2022), which will come into effect May 1, 2023. This is …
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On Nov. 13, 2022, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hebei province, China, released an action plan for new pollutant control to seek public comments, which were accepted through …
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On Nov. 1, 2022, the Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment of Shanghai, China, released a draft action plan for new pollutant control to seek public comments, which were accepted …
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On October 31, 2022, the China Electronics Standardization Institute (CESI) published a draft of the group standard “Recycled Plastic Applications Technology Code for Electrical and Electronic Equipment” of the China …
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On Oct. 21, 2022, the Solid Waste and Chemicals Management Center of China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published FAQs on the revised Measures on Hazardous Waste Transfer, issued Nov. …
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On Nov. 9, 2022, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hainan province, China, released draft provincial rules for solid waste pollution control to seek comments, which were accepted through …
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On November 3, 2022, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China released a draft opinion solicitation for the “National Implementation Plan for the Distribution of Total Carbon Emissions Trading …
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On Sept. 30, 2022, the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of Zhejiang province, China, released a local standard to evaluate “sponge cities”. A sponge city is a city that …
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On Nov. 10, 2022, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation and other government bodies and organizations announced an Action Plan to Improve the Quality of Products, Construction Work and Services …
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At a regular press conference Oct. 27, 2022, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment released its 2022 report on the country’s policies and actions regarding climate change. The ministry prepared …
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On September 8, 2022, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the National Development and Reform Commission, and 15 other administrative agencies of China promulgated the “In-depth action plan for the …
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At a regular press conference of China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment on Sept. 28, 2022, Yan E, a Deputy Director of Department of Laws, Regulations, and Standards talked about …
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On Oct. 30, 2022, China issued the Yellow River Protection Law, which will come into effect April 1, 2023. This law introduces to the Yellow River basin a ban on …
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On October 24, 2022, the China Coating Industry Association announced that it would conduct a survey on the use of 73 chemicals in the Coating industry, including PFCAs, UV-350. The …
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On Sept. 28, 2022, the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of Hebei province, China, published revised “Hebei Regulations on the Control of Solid Waste Environmental Pollution,” which will come …
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On Oct. 9, 2022, China’s Certification and Accreditation Administration issued a revised list of standards used to specify couplers for household and similar uses (e.g., connectors and plugs that connect …
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On October 14, 2022, the State Post Bureau of China held the regular press conference of the fourth quarter of 2022. At the press conference, the implement progresses of “9917” …
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The Pollutant Discharge Permit System is how the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in China monitors and enforces legal restrictions on polluting entities and polluting behaviors.While it boasts a major …
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On July 11, 2022, the State Administration for Market Regulation released the national standard “General rules for equipping and managing the water metering devices in water-use organizations” (GB/T 24789-2022). This …
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On September 22, 2022, the Ecological Environmental Department of Jiangsu Province of China announced 10 cases of violation of VOC emission rules. Fugitive emissions are the irregular discharge of air …
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On July 25, 2022, the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, China, promulgated the “Shenzhen Sponge City Construction Management Regulations.” The regulations came into effect on September 1, 2022. A sponge city …
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On October 2, 2022, the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government, China announced the “Jiangsu Province Carbon Peaking Implementation Plan.” The plan presents targets such as achieving a total capacity of more …
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On October 13, 2022, the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, China announced the “Beijing Carbon Peaking Implementation Plan.” The plan proposes targets such as achieving a share of renewable energy …
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On Sept. 27, 2022, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published a report on cases where some companies were punished for violating the Measures on the Environmental Management and Registration …
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On Sept. 29, 2022, China’s Zhejiang province published revised regulations on solid waste environmental pollution control, which will come into effect Jan. 1, 2023. The revised regulations set out the …
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On Sept. 21, 2022, China’s Shandong province published provincial regulations on solid waste environmental pollution control that are based on a national law called the Solid Waste Environmental Pollution Control …
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On Sept. 26, 2022, China’s Ministry of Transport issued revised regulations on safety in the railway transportation of dangerous goods, which will come into effect Dec. 1, 2022. Under the …
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On Sept. 23, 2022, China’s State Council issued “opinions” on advancing the reform of regulatory systems for electrical and electronic equipment. The opinions set out measures such as adding lithium-ion …
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On Sept. 30, 2022, The Department of Ecology and Environment of Zhejiang province, China, released a draft plan for new pollutant control to seek public comments, which will be accepted …
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On Sept. 9, 2022, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published revised Measures on National Standards, which will come into effect March, 1, 2023. The measures are subordinate legislation of …
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On Aug. 26, 2022, the Shanghai Municipal Development & Reform Commission, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization and other eight departments of the government of Shanghai, China, announced a …
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On Aug. 24, 2022, China’s Ministry of Finance announced a program to financially support the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin with state funds. The program …
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On Sept. 14, 2022, the government of Tianjin, China, announced a program for carbon peaking. This program is developed by Tianjin city based on the central government’s “Opinions on Achieving …
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In August 2022, the China Environment Publishing Group released its Q&A on the National Carbon Emissions Trading Market. The five-chapter document, which was reviewed and approved by the Department of …
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On Sept. 14, 2022, the government of Tianjin, China, released draft measures setting limits on pollutant discharge by private companies and public entities. Comments on the draft will be accepted …
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On Sept. 1, 2022, the General Office of China’s State Council announced a series of measures to restrict excessive packaging of goods. The measures include targets for 2025 as well …
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On Aug. 17, 2022, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Sichuan province, China, published on its website a Draft Plan for Controlling New Pollutants. The department accepted public comments …
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On Aug. 25, 2022, the China National Export Commodities Packaging Research Institute released an article explaining China’s national standard called Packaging Recycling Marking (GB/T 18455-2022). Here are its most notable …
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On Aug. 5, 2022, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment and other government departments announced a Program for Ecological Protection of the Yellow River Basin. The program focuses on outstanding …
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On Sept. 6, 2022, the Market Regulatory Administration of Jiangsu Province, China, issued a local standard called the Guidelines for Whole-process Environmental Management of Industrial Enterprises (DB/T 4342-2022), which will …
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On Sept. 27, 2022, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment released a draft 2022 List of Key Controlling New Pollutants to seek public comments, which will be accepted through Oct. …
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On Sept. 5, 2022, the China Household Electrical Appliances Association released a standard called “Safe service life for household electrical appliances Part 8：Tableware disinfection cabinet” (association standard T/CHEAA 0011.8-2022), which …
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To protect the environment and reduce the use of plastic, on August 31, 2022, the Macao Special Administrative Region Government of China announced an amendment to the Article 5 (1) …
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On Aug. 6, 2022, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published an article on three cases of environmental impact assessment (EIA) report falsification, which took place in Jiangsu, Sichuan and …
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On Aug. 18, 2022, at an Executive Meeting presided by Premier Li Keqiang, China’s State Council approved several policies that encourage the purchase of high-value goods, including new-energy vehicles among …
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According to information released Aug. 31, 2022 by a source familiar with the matter, the Emergency Management Office of China’s Shandong province plans to fully implement the “one company, one …
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On July 19, 2022, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China released a list of 22 chemical substances, which will be added into the “List of existing chemical substances”, …
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On Aug. 15, 2022, the Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment and Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources of China’s Shanghai issued Measures for Identifying the Party Responsible for …
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On July 19, 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission and other 6 central government departments jointly designated Beijing and other 59 cities as key cities to develop waste recycling …
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On July 29, 2022, the Department of Ecology and Environment of China’s Guangdong Province announced an action plan for 2022–2025 to take measures against plastic pollution. The plan aims to …
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On Aug. 3, 2022, the Municipal Transportation Commission and other two departments of Shanghai, China announced new rules for the road transportation and storage of dangerous goods/hazardous chemicals. The rules …
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On July 29, 2022, the Department of Ecology and Environment of China’s Shenzhen city released a draft local standard called the Limit of Volatile Organic Compounds and Certain Harmful Substances …
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At a press conference held by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China on July 21, 2022, Liu Zhiquan, the director of the Environmental Impact Assessment and Pollution Emission …
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China’s Ministry of Emergency Management irregularly publishes explanatory information on hazardous chemicals in the “emergency online” section of its website. Here are some of the Q&A released in August 2022. …
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A key focus area in the comprehensive use of resources in China, bulk solid waste consists of seven different types[1]: coal gangue, fly ash, tailings, industrial by-product gypsum, slag, construction …
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On July 27, 2022, China’s customs published Q&A on the customs declaration of hazardous chemicals on its official account of WeChat. Below are the details. Question Answer About determining if …
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On Aug. 1, 2022, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced a program to ensure carbon emissions peaking …
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On July 28, 2022, China’s National Health Commission and State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued 36 mandatory national standards for food safety along with revision tables for three standards. …
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On April 15, 2022, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation released a recommended national standard called “Children’s Watches” (GB/T 41411-2022). It will come into effect on Nov. 1, 2022. The …
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On July 19, 2022, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued new rules for labeling automated monitoring data of pollutant discharge. The rules aim to help establish a system to …
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On July 28, 2022, China’s 13 central government agencies, including the Ministry of Commerce, announced a “Notice on Several Measures to Promote the Consumption of Green Smart Home Appliances,” which …
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Waste Home Appliance Recovery: Accelerated Construction of a Recycling System and Implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) System The quality of life in China has consistently increased alongside rapid economic …
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On July 11, 2022, the China Electronics Standardization Institute released a recommended national standard called the Specification of Green Supply Chain Management for Manufacturing Enterprises in Electronics Information Industry (GB/T …
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On July 14, 2022, the China National Institute of Standardization released the second draft version of a national mandatory standard for server energy efficiency to seek public comments, which will …
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On July 11, 2022, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation released a revised version of the recommended national standard “Packaging Recycling Marking” (GB/T 18455-2022), which will come into effect on …
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On July 20,2022, the Ministry of Environment and Ecology of China released a “Notice on the public call for information of three persistent organic pollutants including Methoxychlor”, which are under …
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On July 17, 2022, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and other three government departments of China announced a program to solve the issue of “black and smelly” water …
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On July 1, 2022, China’s Ministry of Commerce released an industry standard called the Technical Requirements for End-of-Life Electric Vehicles Collecting and Dismantling to seek public comments. The standard includes …
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On June 11, 2022, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Ministry of Water Resources issued …
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On July 5, 2022, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released draft measures to oversee industrial energy conservation to seek comments, which will be accepted through Aug. 5, 2022. …
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