China has unveiled a three-year action plan to substitute plastics with bamboo as a way to reduce pollution, according to local media. 

The newspaper China Daily, which is run by the country’s Communist Party, said the National Forestry and Grassland Administration provided an outline of the strategy: “The plan aims to build an industrial system centered around bamboo substitutes, focusing on the development of bamboo resources, deep processing of bamboo materials and expanding bamboo use in markets.”

The article lacked financial details on government support for the policy, which reportedly includes the creation of 10 substitute application centres in regions abundant with bamboo resources. “These bases will conduct research and form standards for bamboo products,” the paper wrote.

The announcement follows plans for a reduction in carbon emissions and an increase in so-called green technologies announced mere months ago by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation (CPCIF, Beijing; www.cpcif.org.cn)

China Daily said the forestry and grassland administration cited the country’s abundant bamboo resources and potential for industrial development, with the output value of the industry to more than double to over CHY 1 tn (EUR 130 bn) in 2035 from CNY 415 bn in 2022.

“By promoting the use of bamboo, the country aims to counter the adverse environmental impact caused by single-use plastics,” the newspaper wrote. “These plastics, made mainly from fossil fuels, pose a significant risk to human health as they degrade into microplastics and contaminate food sources.”

The state-run Xinhau news agency reported that the action plan’s efforts will focus on areas such as sci-tech innovation, the connection between production and sales, social publicity and international cooperation.

The plan also called for improving laws and regulations and standard authentication and more public procurement activities to help facilitate the substitution, Xinhau wrote.