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Promoting Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic Leading a Low-carbon Life

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Promoting Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic Leading a Low-carbon Life

Views: 1815 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-04-04 Origin: Site

In June 2022, “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” initiative was included in the list of outcomes at the High-Level Dialogue on Global Development hosted by General Secretary Xi Jinping, and China has launched the “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” initiative with the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR) in the same year. Bamboo, as a fast-growing, degradable biomass material, provides alternatives for plastic products. Promoting the “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” initiative is of great significance in strengthening the whole chain control of plastic pollution, realizing the value of ecological products in the bamboo industry, and assisting to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.

Located in the east of China, Anji County covers an area of 1,886 square kilometers with seventy percent being mountains, ten percent water, and the rest twenty percent farmland. It has one million mu of bamboo forest, known as “China’s first bamboo county”. Anji has won a reputation that “to see bamboo, you have to come to China; to see China’s bamboo, you have to come to Anji”. Besides, it has been honored as the first county to receive the United Nations Habitat Award and the United Nations Biodiversity Charming City. Since 2022, Anji took the lead in the world in implementing “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” initiative. It has continued to explore new ways for the control of plastic pollution from sources by improving the policy support system, stressing sound industrial development, broadening application scenarios, and embracing stronger atmosphere of social participation. In August 2023, Anji was approved to build China’s first national-level application and promotion base for “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” initiative. Specific practices were as follows:

Firstly, Anji focuses on top-level design by continuously improving the policy support system. It has developed a series of support policies, issuing “Implementation Program on Application and Promotion Base for Anji ‘Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic’ Initiative (2023-2025)”, “Implementation Program on Promoting the Use of Bamboo-made Tableware ‘four small items’ in Takeaway Catering Field” and other comprehensive policy documents as well as a series of green scene construction documents. Meanwhile, Anji annually invested 20 million yuan to support the development of bamboo industry, and 2 million yuan for the application and promotion of “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” initiative.

Secondly, Anji focuses on the development foundation by constantly improving the bamboo industry system. With “2 + 5 + N” industrial platform system as a basis, Anji gave full play to the strengths of industrial chains, strengthen our weakness in this regard, extend its coverage and values, as well as build more modern industrial chains, so as to cultivate more than 2,000 kinds of bamboo-made products in 15 subcategories of 6 categories to substitute plastic ones. Additionally, a complete industrial chain from the primary processing to the R & D and production of high value-added products was established. Relying on China National Academy of Bamboo Industry, 4 academician-led experts think tank in bamboo industry has been set up, guiding cooperation between county enterprises and scientific research institutions. “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic+” innovation consortium has been built, emphasizing the tackling of key technical problems in the industry. So far, 41 science and technology projects have been implemented and 21 technological breakthroughs have been made. In 2023, the output value of bamboo industry in Anji reached 18 billion yuan, and 41 bamboo product enterprises achieved the annual revenue of more than 20 million yuan.

Thirdly, Anji focuses on application and promotion by continuously broadening the application of key scenes. It has gradually promoted the utilization of bamboo products as substitutes for plastic ones in key areas, expanding from bamboo-made fully degradable plastic bags and tableware (packaging) to “bamboo four small items” for takeaway and “six small items” for homestays and hotels as well as other supplies. Bamboo-made fully degradable plastic bags and other bamboo products have been applied in institutions, hospitals, financial institutions and other fields including more than 7,000 sets bamboo tableware, 1 million sets of “bamboo six small items”, and 100,000 sets of “bamboo four small items”. Nowadays, nearly 300 hotels and homestays use bamboo tableware, and all the county’s top Internet celebrity village cafeterias use “bamboo-made straws”. Moreover, the county-level “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” exhibition center and six such villages have been built.

Fourthly, Anji focuses on promotion and guidance by embracing stronger atmosphere of social participation. The county has successively organized numerous large-scale promotion activities such as Anji Cup International Bamboo Product Design Competition, the first International (Anji) “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” Innovation Conference, and 2024 China (Anji) Bamboo Products Expo, as well as more than 10 famous exhibitions at home and abroad for bamboo enterprises. What’s more, active measures were taken in promoting global participation. At the COP16 to the Convention on Biological Diversity and COP27 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Anji introduced its bamboo industry development and displayed a series of bamboo products which are substitutes of plastic products to the world. At the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), a report on “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” initiative was made.

Plastic pollution control is one of the challenges in global environmental governance, which requires the joint participation of all countries in the world. To solve this problem, China has initiated the Three-Year Action Plan to Accelerate the Development of Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic and jointly issued the Global Action Plan for Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic (2023-2030) with the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization. Hopefully, all countries can join hands to carry out the “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” initiative in the future, advocating the reduction of the use of plastic products and creating a greener and low-carbon living environment.

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