China and the United States have agreed to work together on building a circular economy.
In a joint declaration on enhancing climate action in the 2020s, published surrounding the current COP26 meeting in Glasgow, the two nations committed to co-operating on a range of measures including on the circular economy.
The measures were:
- regulatory frameworks and environmental standards related to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in the 2020s;
- maximising the societal benefits of the clean energy transition;
- policies to encourage decarbonisation and electrification of end-use sectors;
- key areas related to the circular economy, such as green design and renewable resource utilisation; and
- deployment and application of technology such as CCUS and direct air capture.
This marks a departure for the United States, as it has yet to develop any federal policy on the circular economy.
China in July committed to a five-year plan around building a circular economy.
Details in the commitment are lacking, but both nations have committed to building a working group on developing concrete actions.
By 2025, they intend to publish nationally determined contribution plans for how they will achieve these goals by 2035.
View the full declaration here
