Reference News Network, January 15 report: According to the Spanish "Energy Report" website on January 13, imagine a scenario where old cars are no longer abandoned in scrap yards, and their parts are transformed into new and shiny car components. This is exactly the goal that China aims to achieve through its latest measures. By the end of 2025, the economic and industrial authorities of China have issued the "Action Plan for the Promotion of Regenerated Materials Application", which focuses on key industries such as automobiles.

The report states that this is not a sudden initiative. As the popularity of electric vehicles continues to rise in this Asian giant, China's electric vehicle sales have accounted for more than half of the global sales. The Chinese government believes that recycling is an effective way to ensure a stable supply of key raw materials such as lithium and cobalt, which helps reduce reliance on imported resources. The plan advocates that automakers use regenerated steel, regenerated aluminum, and regenerated plastic that meet technical standards in the production of car bodies, internal structures, and non-critical components.

Notably, the impact of this policy will span the entire industry chain. The core of the policy is not only to produce by reusing old materials but also to optimize the disassembly process after cars are scrapped, to realize more material recycling.

Authorities plan to improve resource recovery rates, promote standardized processes, and facilitate industrial linkages between waste processing companies, recycling companies, and manufacturing plants.

The report points out that battery recycling is a highlight of this plan. Currently, the number of electric vehicles on the road in China is extremely large, and the accumulation of spent batteries is accelerating. The government requires the establishment of a more complete system for collecting used batteries, and the recovered battery components will be reused in the production of new batteries.

Recycling batteries can not only reduce waste but also lower production costs and carbon emissions, which is crucial for China to achieve its carbon neutrality goal by 2060. However, the development of this field has not been smooth, and the problem of inconsistent quality of recycled materials has long restricted its application and promotion in automobile production. To this end, the plan includes requirements related to product certification, full-process traceability, and technical standards.

The report states that the core of this plan is to promote industrial collaborative development. Automakers such as BYD and SAIC need to cooperate with recycling companies and raw material suppliers to build a closed-loop industrial chain. Imagine such an industrial cycle: after a retired electric vehicle is dismantled, the regenerated steel can be used to manufacture the chassis of a new car, the regenerated plastic can be used to produce the dashboard of a new car, and the materials from used batteries can be used to produce next-generation battery products.

Currently, China's annual recovery of scrap steel has reached about 255 million tons. The government plans to build more processing centers and further expand the industry scale through technological upgrades. The benefits of this measure are not limited to the automotive industry, but will also benefit electronics, textiles, and other industries.

At the same time, China will further strengthen tax and financial incentive policies, establish a digital traceability platform, and refer to the experience of previously implemented policies. The implementation of these policies will effectively alleviate the pressure on global mineral resource development and enhance the resilience of China's relevant industries against fluctuations in international market prices. (Translated by Han Chao)

On July 16, 2025, visitors at the Advanced Manufacturing Chain exhibition area of China Aluminum's booth learned about a fully aluminum body material. This material has advantages such as light weight, corrosion resistance, and easy recycling, and is currently applied in some domestic new energy vehicles. (Xinhua News Agency)

Original article: toutiao.com/article/7595397304748753418/

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