Trash Woes: Unpacking China's Waste Plastics Ban—Implications for Business
The Conference Board uses cookies to improve our website, enhance your experience, and deliver relevant messages and offers about our products. Detailed information on the use of cookies on this site is provided in our cookie policy. For more information on how The Conference Board collects and uses personal data, please visit our privacy policy. By continuing to use this Site or by clicking "OK", you consent to the use of cookies. 

Trash Woes: Unpacking China's Waste Plastics Ban—Implications for Business


March 23, 2020 | Report

For many years, China was the main final recipient of the global flow of plastics waste—millions of tons were shipped to China every year. In 2017, with the implementation of severe import restrictions, China effectively shut its doors on foreign waste plastics. The result? Seemingly overnight, China’s share in global waste plastics imports plummeted, leaving much of the developed world sitting on mountains of plastics trash. Two years on: How are global plastics waste streams changing? How is the ban affecting the economics of plastic collection and recycling? What were the real reasons behind the ban, and what is happening now within China? Our latest China Center research report provides answers to these questions and assesses short- and long-term implications for business.

AUTHORS

AnkeSchrader

Former Research Director, Asia
The Conference Board

MinjiXie

Senior Researcher, China Center for Economics and Business
The Conference Board


Publications


Webcasts, Podcasts and Videos

Closing the Gap on Ocean plastics ‐ Insights from the Ocean Conservancy

February 24, 2022 09:00 AM ET (New York), 03:00 PM CET (Brussels), 10:00 PM SGT (Singapore)

Turning the Tide on Plastics

May 20, 2021 09:00 AM ET (New York), 03:00 PM CET (Brussels), 09:00 PM SGT (Singapore)

Getting a Grip on Plastics

April 22, 2021 09:00 AM ET (New York), 03:00 PM CET (Brussels), 09:00 PM SGT (Singapore)


Upcoming Events


hubCircleImage