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BIOFORE

attention and effort to deal with them

was not sufficient.

Improving resource efficiency is a

huge, long termproject in a country

the size of China. The recycling of

waste has constantly increased over

the years.

However, there are still chal-

lenges in improving the way environ-

mental matters are handled. According

to Zhang, the exhaustion of water

resources and the pollution of ground-

water are some of the greatest obstacles.

“Approximately 10% of our ground-

water is badly polluted. In some areas,

the quality of the water no longer

meets the right standards and the

water cannot be used as drinking

water.”

The contamination of agricul-

tural land and air pollution are also a

major concern. This winter, there were

”CHINA MUST FIND A BALANCE BETWEEN GROWTH,

CONSUMPTION AND THE SUSTAINABLE USE OF RESOURCES

IN THE LONG RUN,” SAYS ZHANG MING.

Zhang Ming is the head of

the China National Resources

Recycling Association.

The organisation operates under

the Chinese Ministry of Commerce

and aims to increase the recycling

of materials in production and

promoting cooperation between

various parties.

Encouraging feedback

According to Zhang, the paper

industry is one of 10 industries in

China where special attention is paid

to resource efficiency.

Increasing the sustainability of

wood use, improving the recycling

of paper, promoting the efficiency of

production plants and reducing emis-

sions are key issues.

“The Chinese paper industry has

been active in improving resource

efficiency and environmental perfor-

mance.”

According to Zhang, the Chinese

government has tightened the emis-

sion limits set for production plants.

This has led to the closure of those

equipped with outdated technology.

“When the Finnish forest industry

was getting rid of its excess capacity,

UPM took measures to promote the

exceptionally large amounts of smog

in Beijing and other big cities.

“These environmental problems

directly affect the everyday life of people

and the stability of society. That is why

the Chinese government and the entire

society pay special attention to reme-

dying these problems. The government

has made huge investments and applied

stricter control, measurement and

supervision to improve resources effi-

ciency. But it is still far behind in satis-

fying the public,” Zhang emphasises.

Since economic growth and increased

purchasing power will unavoidably lead

to an increase in consumption, Zhang

believes that finding remedies to these

problems is of utmost importance.

“This is why China must find a

balance between growth, consumption

and the sustainable use of resources in

the long run.”