China launches two national industrial recycling platforms

China has launched two major digital platforms to improve the recycling and reuse of industrial materials, in a move seen as key to building a more transparent and unified national system for resource recovery.

China Resources Recycling Group (CRRG), a State-owned enterprise under China Resources (Holdings), unveiled the National Recycled Steel Trading Service Platform and the China Equipment Asset Recycling Platform on Tuesday in Tianjin.

The initiative aims to address long-standing challenges in the recycling sector, such as fragmented regional operations and poor data transparency, by using digital technology and AI to connect information, logistics, and capital flows.

According to Zhu Jianchun, deputy Party secretary and general manager of China Resources and Environment, a subsidiary of CRRG, the platforms will help integrate the digital and physical economies and shift resource recycling from isolated local operations to a coordinated national effort.

Greater data transparency, Zhu added, would strengthen industry oversight, improve credit systems, and boost market confidence.

The new steel trading platform has been opened to individual sellers, a move designed to simplify the recycling of small and scattered sources of scrap metal and increase the supply of green raw materials. Recycled steel mostly comes from old home appliances and machinery, about 90 percent of which is in the hands of consumers, small vendors, and private collectors, making it difficult to gather on a large scale, according to CRRG.

To tackle this, the company has introduced a personal trading section with transparent pricing and quick matching between sellers and certified buyers. Every transaction is recorded and traceable.

The platforms also extend beyond industrial materials. A nationwide green supply chain for mobile phone recycling has been rolled out across 32 cities, allowing residents to dispose of old devices safely at street-side kiosks.

The service guarantees secure data deletion—addressing one of the public's biggest concerns—and aims to draw more people into formal recycling channels as China ramps up efforts to build a circular, low-carbon economy.

Liu Yuanqing contributed to this story.