Our country is currently in a period of rapid industrialization, urbanization, and informatization. This swift development has brought immense pressure on resources and the environment, which have become fundamental constraints on our economic growth. The recycling of resources is an effective means to conserve resources, alleviate shortages, and reduce environmental carrying capacity. Therefore, the development of the secondary resource industry, an important branch of the energy-saving and environmental protection industry, is increasingly gaining attention. During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, the secondary resource industry will enjoy a broad development space.
The circular economy development model serves as a long-term safeguard for the industry. The concept of circular economy was officially designated as a national strategy at the beginning of the "11th Five-Year Plan." After two stages of exploration and development, China's "3+1" circular economy development model was proposed. The renewable resources industry, as an important component of the circular economy, plays a crucial and irreplaceable role in recycling valuable waste resources back into social production activities. The significant development of the circular economy will provide long-term protection for the renewable resources sector.
Due to resource and environmental constraints, the sub-industries within the renewable resources sector, such as recycled water, scrap metal, e-waste, and end-of-life vehicles, are experiencing strong internal development demands. Relevant plans and policies for some of these sub-industries have been sequentially released, providing guidance and security for the sector's development during the 12th Five-Year Plan period. Specifically: the scale of recycled water utilization will increase by a factor of two; the gap in the recovery of scrap steel remains significant, indicating ongoing room for industry growth; the output of recycled non-ferrous metals will double; policies for the resource recovery of electronic waste are clear, with promising prospects; and there is considerable potential for the dismantling of end-of-life vehicles.