Background

Unsustainable patterns of plastic production and consumption are contributing to the release of toxic chemicals, high greenhouse gas emissions, large volumes of waste, and widespread environmental degradation. The continued global demand for plastic materials, combined with limited circular approaches, will further exacerbate chemical and plastic pollution.

As the world’s largest producer and consumer of plastics – accounting for nearly one-third of total global production – China plays a critical role in addressing the global plastics challenge. Despite continuous efforts over the past decade to prevent pollution, significant gaps remain in adopting a full life cycle management system that can achieve circularity, improve resource efficiency, and reduce emissions from the plastics industry.

Project overview

Country: China

Implementing agency: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Executing partner: Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center (FECO), Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE)

Project duration: September 2026 - February 2032

Total budget: GEF: $ 20,265,000, Co-financing: $ 182,385,000

Project objectives

The project aims to facilitate the transformation of the Chinese plastics industry towards circularity and zero waste, reduce the use of harmful chemicals in plastics, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by:

• Eliminating the production and use of unnecessary and problematic plastics through green procurement measures and the introduction of environmentally friendly alternatives.

• Reducing the use of harmful chemicals in plastics by developing and adopting a national list of chemicals of concern.

• Redesigning products and packaging with a focus on green packaging and sustainable models in logistics, e-commerce, and express (food) delivery sectors.

• Improving plastic reuse and recycling systems, focusing particularly on low-value plastic wastes that are currently difficult to recycle.

The project encompasses a wide range of upstream, midstream, and downstream interventions across the plastics value chain, including:

• Policy and regulatory framework: Developing and implementing regulations to introduce a list of chemicals and polymers of concern, reduce unnecessary and problematic plastics, and strengthen institutional capacity for effective enforcement.

• Demonstration of environmentally friendly alternatives and best practices: Promoting Best Available Technologies and Best Environmental Practices (BAT/BEP) in plastic value chains and demonstrating alternatives to plastics through innovation in eco-design, green packaging, sustainable logistics, smart sorting, green procurement, and certification systems for recycled plastics.

• Innovative financing and business models: Establishing new financing mechanisms such as Public–Private Partnerships (PPP), Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Deposit–Refund Systems (DRS), and Eco-Environment-Oriented Development (EOD), along with a dedicated green finance platform to support sustainable plastic and waste management.

• Data, knowledge, and awareness: Strengthening data and knowledge management, facilitating information exchange, raising public awareness, and enhancing monitoring and evaluation to inform decision-making and measure progress.