Circular Economy Policies in China and Europe

TLDR

The circular economy has become a prominent policy focus in both Europe and China, with both regions sharing a common conceptual basis and similar concerns about enhancing resource efficiency. This article investigates how China and Europe differ in their focus on circular economy policy. The authors analyze policy documents, media articles, and academic publications to compare CE concept understandings and examine policy activity focus and progress indicators in China and Europe. The study finds that China’s CE policy is broad, addressing pollution and industrialization challenges, while Europe’s CE policy is narrower, focusing on waste, resources, and business opportunities, with differences in scale, place, and value‑chain priorities that explain divergent policy articulation and offer mutual lessons.

Abstract

Summary The idea of a circular economy (CE) has become prominent in both European and Chinese policy making. Chinese and European perspectives on a CE share a common conceptual basis and exhibit many similar concerns in seeking to enhance resource efficiency. Yet they also differ, and this article explores differences in the focus of CE policy in China and Europe. We present evidence on the differing understandings of the CE concept in Chinese and European policy discourse, drawing on qualitative and quantitative analysis of policy documents, media articles, and academic publications. We show that the Chinese perspective on the CE is broad, incorporating pollution and other issues alongside waste and resource concerns, and it is framed as a response to the environmental challenges created by rapid growth and industrialization. In contrast, Europe's conception of the CE has a narrower environmental scope, focusing more narrowly on waste and resources and opportunities for business. We then examine similarities and differences in the focus of policy activity in the two regions and in the indicators used to measure progress. We show differences in the treatment of issues of scale and place and different priorities across value chains (from design to manufacture, consumption, and waste management). We suggest some reasons for the divergent policy articulation of the CE concept and suggest lessons that each region can learn from the other.