China publishes draft rules on pollution discharge permit issuance for paper, paper product, petrochemical companies

On Aug. 6, 2024, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published two sets of draft rules, or “National Ecology and Environment Standards”, on the application and issuance of pollution discharge permits for paper and paper product manufacturers and petrochemical companies, respectively. The English titles of the drafts are as follows:

• • Technical Specification for Application and Issuance of Pollutant Permit — Paper and Paper Products Industry
  • Technical Specification for Application and Issuance of Pollutant Permit — Petrochemical Industry

The ministry is seeking comments on the drafts through Sept. 6, 2024.

The pollution discharge permit issuance rules for the paper and paper product industry would apply to manufacturers and manufacturing facilities that produce pulp from wood and other plant materials, used paper or other materials, produce paper or cardboard from pulp, or produce paper products by processing paper or cardboard as raw materials.

The permit issuance rules for the petrochemical industry is a revision of the 2017 version of the rules. The revision aims to optimize the method of determining allowable pollution discharges, and introduces requirements for soil contamination control. Here is a brief overview of this draft.