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Can Legislation Promote a Circular Economy? A Material Flow-Based Evaluation of the Circular Degree of the Chinese Economy

Author

Listed:
  • Yuan Hu

    (School of Law, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, 777 Guoding Road, Shanghai 200433, China)

  • Xuan He

    (School of Public Economics and Administration, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, 777 Guoding Road, Shanghai 200433, China)

  • Mark Poustie

    (School of Law, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, 777 Guoding Road, Shanghai 200433, China
    School of Law, University of Strathclyde, Lord Hope Building, 141 St James Road, Glasgow G4 0RQ, Scotland, UK)

Abstract

The circular economy has been widely developed in China and other countries. However, China has been the most proactive country in upgrading its economic model by enacting a Circular Economy Promotion Law (CEPL). Nearly 10 years have passed since the adoption of the CEPL, and it is thus essential to evaluate the progress of circular economy development to see if the targets have been achieved. Although it is extremely difficult to evaluate the role of the CEPL in the development of a circular economy in China, we think that if we can estimate the circular degree of the Chinese economy and identify the changes of some key indicators before and after the adoption of the CEPL, it will be helpful in judging whether the CEPL has played a key role in promoting the transition of the economic development model. Since the existing circular economy indicators and evaluation systems have focused mainly on the recycling of resources, we designed a methodology based on the material flow that can be used to evaluate the circular degree of the whole national economy. Through a detailed observation of the circular economy indicators of China, we conclude that the CEPL has not yet played a significant role in promoting the circular economy as was previously believed.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuan Hu & Xuan He & Mark Poustie, 2018. "Can Legislation Promote a Circular Economy? A Material Flow-Based Evaluation of the Circular Degree of the Chinese Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-22, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:4:p:990-:d:138366
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Mohajan, Haradhan, 2021. "Circular Economy in China: Towards the Progress," MPRA Paper 109281, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 03 Aug 2021.
    2. Bongers, Anelí & Casas, Pablo, 2022. "The circular economy and the optimal recycling rate: A macroeconomic approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    3. Gaowen Lei & Sidai Guo & Zihan Yuan, 2022. "Study on the Effect and Mechanism of Circular Economy Promotion Law on the Utilization Rate of Industrial Solid Waste in Resource-Based Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-20, August.
    4. Alexandra Barón & Rudi de Castro & Gerusa Giménez, 2020. "Circular Economy Practices among Industrial EMAS-Registered SMEs in Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-25, October.
    5. Margarita Ignatyeva & Vera Yurak & Alexey Dushin & Vladimir Strovsky & Sergey Zavyalov & Alexander Malyshev & Polina Karimova, 2021. "How Far Away Are World Economies from Circularity: Assessing the Capacity of Circular Economy Policy Packages in the Operation of Raw Materials and Industrial Wastes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-15, April.
    6. Lucía Salguero-Puerta & Juan Carlos Leyva-Díaz & Francisco Joaquín Cortés-García & Valentín Molina-Moreno, 2019. "Sustainability Indicators Concerning Waste Management for Implementation of the Circular Economy Model on the University of Lome (Togo) Campus," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-21, June.
    7. Alexandra Barón Dorado & Gerusa Giménez Leal & Rodolfo de Castro Vila, 2022. "Environmental policy and corporate sustainability: The mediating role of environmental management systems in circular economy adoption," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 830-842, July.
    8. Trang Thi Pham & Tsai-Chi Kuo & Ming-Lang Tseng & Raymond R. Tan & Kimhua Tan & Denny Satria Ika & Chiuhsiang Joe Lin, 2019. "Industry 4.0 to Accelerate the Circular Economy: A Case Study of Electric Scooter Sharing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-16, November.
    9. Feng Xiong & Xiaoyu Zeng & Yi (Fionna) Xie & Yan Li, 2022. "Design (Allocation) of a Carbon Emission System—A Lesson from Power Restrictions in Zhejiang, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-31, September.
    10. Reina BOU NEHME & Cristian-Silviu BANACU & Ghanim Ahmed KAMIL, 2020. "Project Management For Circular Economy In Developing Countries Using Proper Policies And Strategies In Recycling Issues. The Case Of Lebanon," Proceedings of the INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 14(1), pages 595-607, November.
    11. Yuan Huang & Mahmood Shafiee & Fiona Charnley & Adriana Encinas-Oropesa, 2022. "Designing a Framework for Materials Flow by Integrating Circular Economy Principles with End-of-Life Management Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-20, April.
    12. Hongcheng Shen & Yi Liu, 2022. "Can Circular Economy Legislation Promote Pollution Reduction? Evidence from Urban Mining Pilot Cities in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-22, November.
    13. Emilio Abad-Segura & Ana Batlles de la Fuente & Mariana-Daniela González-Zamar & Luis Jesús Belmonte-Ureña, 2020. "Effects of Circular Economy Policies on the Environment and Sustainable Growth: Worldwide Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-27, July.

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