On January 29, 2026, the kick-off meeting for the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) Special Policy Study (SPS) on “Advancing High-Quality Development Through Circular Economy with Smart Digitalization” was held online. The meeting opened with remarks by Mr. Liu Shijin, CCICED Chinese Chief Advisor. Building on the outcomes of the 2025 research, the 2026 SPS is jointly led by CCICED Special Advisor Hu Qing, Professor of the Southern University of Science and Technology and CCICED Special Advisor Ilka Hirt, Deputy Director-General of the International Policy of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN). The meeting was co-chaired by Dr. Zhong Lijin, Executive Vice President of the Beijing Huanding Environmental Smart Data Institute, and Mr. Siddharth Prakash, Head of Sub-Division Circular Economy and Global Value Chains, Division Sustainable Products and Material Flows, Oeko-Institute.

The SPS International Team Lead, Ms. Hirt, noted that amid a complex geopolitical landscape, the European Union and Germany remain committed to a rules-based international order and the principles of green development. She emphasized the critical role of the circular economy in advancing global sustainable development and decarbonization. Ms. Hirt shared recent progress in circular economy legislation and strategic initiatives across the EU and Germany, and reviewed the main outcomes of the 2025 SPS. The 2025 study focused on case studies in the textile and chemical sectors, and summarized key policy recommendations for implementing circular economy in China and globally, including strengthening top-level design, advancing standards, leveraging green finance, and deepening international cooperation.

While presenting the 2026 implementation plan for the SPS, the Chinese Team Lead, Prof. Hu, emphasized the strategic importance of integrating digitalization into circular economy development and leveraging digital technologies to enhance policy implementation, particularly against the backdrop of profound global transformations and accelerating digitalization. In 2026, the research team will draw on relevant EU experiences to refine China’s circular economy policy framework. It will also conduct in-depth case studies in the textile and electronics/electrical appliance sectors to analyze how digital technologies can enhance the implementation of policy instruments such as eco-design, digital product passports, and extended producer responsibility. The research findings are expected to provide policy recommendations and analytical support for the formulation of China’s circular economy priorities under the “15th Five-Year Plan”.

The Chinese Deputy Lead, Li Wenqiang, Director General of the Solid Waste and Chemicals Management Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, and the International Deputy Lead, Jocelyn Blériot, Executive Lead of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, respectively introduced the latest policy developments in the field of circular economy in China and the EU. In interpreting the newly released Action Plan for Comprehensive Governance of Solid Waste, Director General Li noted that the policy recommendations proposed by the CCICED Special Policy Study on Circular Economy in 2025 have been well reflected in the Action Plan. He emphasized that the Plan is not only a framework for solid waste pollution prevention and control, but also an important strategic blueprint for advancing China’s circular economy transformation and development. In his remarks, Mr. Blériot highlighted that the EU is integrating the circular economy into its clean industrial and competitiveness strategy through a comprehensive policy package, including the Circular Economy Act, the Critical Raw Materials Act, and the EU Batteries Regulation. These initiatives are promoting the transition of the circular economy from an environmental policy instrument to a core policy tool underpinning low-carbon development and economic resilience.

The CCICED Secretariat presented the requirements for the 2026 SPS. Mr. Yao Xin, Vice President of Research Institute for Environmental Innovation (Suzhou) Tsinghua, Mr. Per Ängquist, CCICED Council Member, Director General of the Swedish Chemicals Agency and former State Secretary for the Swedish Ministry of the Environment, Mr. Tian Ye, Managing Director of the Special Textiles Division of Esquel Group, and Ms. Kathinka Fürst, Research Director at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA). Professor Wang Can of Tsinghua University, Mr. Guan Yisong, China Chief Representative of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Ms. Madeleine Sophia Brandes, Corporate Engagement Lead of the World Economic Forum’s Global Plastics Action Partnership, as well as experts from BMUKN, European Environment Bureau, GIZ, and other institutions also participated in the discussions, providing valuable suggestions for the next phase of the study.

Approximately 50 project team members, experts, and CCICED partners participated in the meeting.