Beijing, Jan 26 (IANS) In a bid to protect environment and save resources, the Chinese government will promote paper recycling and reduction of paper usage in the country, according to China' new five-year plan for its paper industry.
According to the country's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) for the paper industry, released last week, the Chinese authorities will urge people to reduce usage of high-quality paper sheets with high whiteness, Xinhua reported Thursday.
Current paper product standards, as per the new five-year plan, should be revised to encourage the production of energy-saving and emission-reducing paper, and promote the substitution of paper packaging for alternatives.
The plan requires government purchasers to give priority to paper products mixed with waste paper, and to reduce paper use by switching to digital systems.
Meanwhile, the plan calls for news publishing and packaging industries to take effective measures to reduce paper consumption.
China is the world's largest producer and consumer of paper and paperboard products. It has plans to eliminate at least 10 million tonnes of outdated papermaking capacity before 2015 by encouraging corporate mergers and acquisitions.
The country aims to cut chemical oxygen demand, which accounts for around 47 percent of the sector's total emissions, by 10 to 12 percent this year.
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