DataSheet_1_China’s regulatory respond to plastic pollution: Trends and trajectories.xlsx

Despite China having an international reputation as one of the largest contributors to plastic pollution in the world’s oceans, research analyzing China’s regulatory approach to governing plastic has been limited and fragmented, and as such, little is known about trends and trajectories dominating China’s plastic policy landscape. In this paper, we seek to address this gap in the literature through the construction and analysis of a complete inventory of China plastic-related policies from 1 January 2000 to 30 June 2021. Utilizing NVIVO (a qualitative analysis software), our analysis of 231 Chinese plastic policy documents shows that China’s serious and concentrated effort to governing plastics really took off in the year 2016. From 2016, China saw a rapid increase in the attention paid to plastic pollution in the regulatory realm. In 2000, there were only four plastic-pertinent policies, but by the first half of 2021, this number has grown to 41, representing an increase of 925%. In this period, China has also significantly transformed its approach to governing plastics; not only has the goal and purpose of regulating plastic increased in complexity, but the type of plastics targeted and the different aspects of the plastic value chain included in various policies have become increasingly comprehensive over time. Concurrently, the deployment of different types of regulatory instruments utilized for the purpose of governing plastics in China has become much more diversified, with a major focus on prohibitive bans and information campaigns currently dominating Chinese plastic policy instruments. Economic policy instruments, on the other hand, especially economic incentives, have only recently been gaining popularity. Finally, today, most government agencies have published policies that are relevant to the regulation of plastic pollution control and prevention in China. Despite the massive increase in plastic pertinent policies in China, the predominant focus is still on back-end policy, with little regulatory attention on the upstream part of the plastic lifecycle (i.e., prodigious production of plastics). China’s fairly recent plastic policy awakening should be understood in light of China’s focus on the circular economy, the county’s ramping up of regulatory focus, and fiscal investment in solid waste management and pertinent infrastructure. Towards the end of the paper, we point to some possible trajectories for the China plastic policy landscape, highlighting the synergies between reducing plastic production, consumption, and waste treatment and China’s carbon neutrality ambition, as well as predicting a stronger policy focus and emphasis on plastic cleanup efforts.

尽管中国素有全球海洋塑料污染主要贡献国之一的国际声誉，但针对中国塑料治理监管路径的研究仍较为有限且分散，因此学界对中国塑料政策格局的主导趋势与发展脉络尚缺乏充分认知。为此，本研究通过构建并分析2000年1月1日至2021年6月30日期间中国全部塑料相关政策清单，旨在填补该研究空白。本研究借助质性分析软件（NVIVO）对231份中国塑料政策文件展开分析后发现，中国针对塑料治理的系统性发力真正始于2016年。自2016年起，中国在监管领域对塑料污染的关注度快速提升。2000年时，中国仅出台4项涉塑料政策，而到2021年上半年，这一数量已增至41项，增幅达925%。在此期间，中国的塑料治理路径也发生了显著转变：不仅塑料监管的目标与宗旨日趋复杂，各类政策所涵盖的管控塑料品类以及塑料价值链的不同环节也随时间推移愈发全面。与此同时，中国用于塑料治理的各类监管工具也愈发多元化，当前中国塑料政策工具的主流为禁止性禁令与宣传教育活动。而经济类政策工具，尤其是经济激励手段，直至近年才逐渐得到推广应用。时至今日，中国多数政府部门均已出台与塑料污染防治监管相关的政策文件。尽管中国涉塑料政策数量大幅增长，但当前政策的核心关注点仍集中于后端环节，对塑料生命周期上游环节（即塑料大规模生产环节）的监管投入仍显不足。中国近期方才觉醒的塑料治理政策意识，可结合中国对循环经济的重视、国家监管力度的持续加大以及对固体废物管理与相关基础设施的财政投入来理解。在本文的结语部分，本研究还探讨了中国塑料政策格局的若干可能发展方向，重点阐述了减少塑料生产、消费与废弃物处理与中国碳中和目标之间的协同效应，并预判未来中国政策将进一步强化塑料清理整治相关的工作重点。