China Promulgates “Ecological Environment Code”: Part 4

The Ecological Environment Code of the People's Republic of China was passed by the 14th National People's Congress and will take effect on August 15, 2026. This article (Part 4) outlines the provisions in the Code regarding soil pollution prevention and control. Upon the enforcement of the Code, the existing Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Law of the People's Republic of China will be repealed.

While the previous Law emphasized "measures after pollution has occurred," the new Code establishes a policy of "Source Prevention + Risk Management." For example, Articles 412 through 414 require enterprises to strictly implement measures to control the emission of toxic and hazardous substances. Furthermore, the penalty for producing fraudulent reports in soil pollution investigations or assessments has been significantly increased—from a maximum of 50,000 RMB under the previous Law to as much as 2 million RMB under the new Code.