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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equipped with outdated technology.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.”