What are the considerations behind the revision of the index system for cleaner production in two industries, including copper smelting, when the evaluation index system for cleaner production was released?

Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Evaluation Index System for Cleaner Production in Two Industries Including Copper Smelting" (Fagai Huan Zi Gui [2024] No. 45, hereinafter referred to as the "Index System"). Relevant responsible comrades of the National Development and Reform Commission answered reporters' questions on the relevant situation of the indicator system.

Q: Please tell us about the background of the development of the indicator system.

Answer: The promotion of cleaner production is a specific measure to implement the basic national policy of saving resources and protecting the environment, an important means to achieve synergy in pollution reduction and carbon reduction, and an effective way to accelerate the formation of a green production mode and promote the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. In 2007, the National Development and Reform Commission issued the "Lead and Zinc Industry Cleaner Production Evaluation Index System (Trial)", and from 2009 to 2010, the former Ministry of Environmental Protection issued the "Cleaner Production Standard for Crude Lead Smelting" (HJ 521-2009), "Cleaner Production Standard for Lead Electrolysis" (HJ 513-2009) and "Cleaner Production Standard for Copper Smelting" (HJ 558-2010), which provided important support for the copper and lead smelting industry to further promote cleaner production and improve the level of cleaner production.

In 2021, with the approval of the State Council, the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments issued the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Implementation of National Cleaner Production", which requires "the establishment and improvement of a cleaner production standard system". With the economic and social development and technological progress of the industry, the rapid development of China's copper and lead smelting industry, the industry segments are more complex, and the types of enterprises are more diverse.

Q: What are the overall considerations for revising the indicator system?

Answer: First, we should implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China emphasized the need to "promote clean and low-carbon transformation in industry, construction, transportation and other fields". The "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Completely, Accurately and Comprehensively Implementing the New Development Concept and Doing a Good Job in Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality" clearly requires "comprehensively promoting cleaner production". The "14th Five-Year Plan" National Cleaner Production Implementation Plan requires promoting the green transformation and upgrading of the non-ferrous industry, implementing cleaner production transformation projects in the non-ferrous industry, and promoting a number of key enterprises to reach the leading level of cleaner production. In recent years, relevant departments have also successively introduced a series of policies and measures, putting forward new requirements for the high-quality development of copper, lead smelting and other industries. The revision thoroughly implements the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and comprehensively upgrades the indicator system in accordance with the relevant requirements of green, low-carbon and high-quality development.

The second is to promote the high-quality development of the industry. Copper and lead smelting is a basic industry in the national economy and provides important raw materials for economic and social development. The revision puts forward higher requirements for cleaner production in the industry, which is conducive to promoting enterprises to update technology and equipment, reduce the consumption of energy resources and pollutant emissions, improve the level of green production in the industry, and promote the green and low-carbon transformation of the industry.

The third is to strengthen the technical guidelines for green production in the industry. The revision of the evaluation index system for cleaner production in the copper smelting industry strengthens the technical direction and requirements of copper smelting production technology, revises the energy consumption per unit of product, the comprehensive recovery rate of copper smelting and other indicators, and guides enterprises to adopt short-process smelting and oxygen-rich melting pool smelting technology to improve the level of comprehensive utilization of resources. The evaluation index system of cleaner production in the lead smelting industry strengthens the control requirements for heavy metals in lead smelting wastewater and waste gas, clarifies the technical improvement direction of lead smelting to implement oxygen-rich bottom blowing smelting and direct reduction of lead slag in lead smelting, and sets the generation and emission indicators of characteristic pollutants per unit product, so as to promote the synergy of pollution reduction and carbon reduction in lead smelting enterprises.

Q: What are the main changes in the revised indicator system?

Answer: First, the evaluation index system of cleaner production has been improved. The revised indicator system is divided into 9 categories, namely production technology and equipment, energy consumption, water resource consumption, raw material/auxiliary material consumption, comprehensive utilization of resources, pollutant generation and emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, product characteristics and cleaner production management. Compared with the six types of indicators of the original cleaner production evaluation index system, the original "resource and energy consumption" is adjusted to three indicators: energy, water resources and raw / auxiliary material consumption, which further reflects China's comprehensive conservation strategy, highlights the intensive and efficient use of resources, and adds carbon emission indicators.

The second is to further optimize the evaluation indicators of cleaner production. According to the current mainstream technology and technology, main facilities and equipment, resource consumption of multi-process products, main pollutant types and key pollutant types in China's copper and lead smelting industry, the evaluation index system of clean production in the copper and lead smelting industry has been improved.

The third is to improve the scientific evaluation of cleaner production. The revised index system emphasizes more systematization, and comprehensively considers the dual evaluation of restrictive indicators and comprehensive index to determine the level of cleaner production, so as to achieve the scientific assessment of the level of cleaner production.

Q: Please tell us about the interface between the indicator system and other standards.

Answer: The evaluation index system of cleaner production in the copper and lead smelting industry shall be structured in accordance with the General Principles for the Preparation of Cleaner Production Evaluation Index System (GB/T 43329-2023), and shall be consistent with the standards of energy conservation, water conservation, environmental protection and other related fields, such as the "General Industrial Solid Waste Storage and Landfill Pollution Control Standard" (GB 18599), the "Environmental Management System Requirements and Use Guidelines" (GB/T 24001), and the "Hazardous Waste Storage Pollution Control Standard" (GB). 18597), energy management standards such as Energy Management System Requirements (GB/T 23331), Blister Copper (YS/T 70), Anode Copper (YS/T 1083), Blister Lead (YS/T 71) and other product standards. The cleaner production evaluation index system is fully connected with the index values set by the current standards, and according to the current technological progress of the copper and lead smelting industries, higher index values are set in accordance with the requirements of the grading and evaluation of cleaner production levels, so as to lead the green, low-carbon and high-quality development of the industry.

Q: How to promote the implementation of the indicator system?

Answer: First, do a good job in publicity and interpretation. Organize and carry out cleaner production publicity, education and interpretation training, and help enterprises in the copper and lead smelting industry understand the value nodes of index measurement in the process of cleaner production evaluation, the applicable technologies to meet various indicators, and the key points of calculation and accounting methods.

The second is to promote the implementation of cleaner production audits and evaluation certifications. Encourage enterprises to carry out cleaner production audits and evaluation certifications, and carry out whole-process green production assessment and diagnosis on enterprise production processes and equipment, resource and energy consumption, carbon emissions, etc., according to the cleaner production index system.

The third is to encourage the implementation of cleaner production transformation. Encourage enterprises to benchmark the indicators of cleaner production, dig deep into the potential of cleaner production, formulate cleaner production transformation plans in accordance with the requirements of "one enterprise and one policy", organize the implementation of cleaner production transformation, and continuously improve the level of green production of enterprises.