The State Council of the People’s Republic of China, China’s chief administrative authority, releasedGuiding opinions on accelerating the establishment and improvement of a green and low-carbon circular development economic systemin late February.

Synonymous with the Central People’s Government since 1954, the State Council forms one of three interlocking arms of power in China, the other two being the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army.

The document urged efforts to create an economic system featuring “green”, low carbon and circular development and stated that the overarching mission to build a “beautiful” China through greener industrial practices, outlined within the text, would “basically” be achieved by 2035.

More rapid, green transformation of the leather industry (alongside others such as the steel, paper, chemical and textile industries) is central to this aim, the document said. Green and “clean” reforms across leather product design, manufacturing, recycling and other methods of managing and reusing waste are all key aspects of this.

Further, audits and other methods for identifying “scattered and polluting” leather and other enterprises will be improved, with measures such as the relocation, rectification, upgrading, shutdown and, in some cases, banning of polluting companies implemented.

The realisation of the nationwide pollution permit system must also be sped up, the text said.

On the agricultural side, a significant “guiding opinion” was that work must be done to “vigorously” promote saving water, among other guidelines for building a greener, more circular system.