MIIT: "Waste plastic recycling" included in the construction of pilot test platforms
On November 11, 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology officially released the "Notice on Further Accelerating the Systematic Layout and High-Level Construction of Manufacturing Pilot Test Platforms", and simultaneously launched the "Guidelines for the Construction of Manufacturing Pilot Test Platforms (2025 Edition)" and the "Key Points for the Construction of Key Directions of Manufacturing Pilot Test Platforms (2025 Edition)". The aim is to break the "bottleneck" in the transformation of scientific and technological achievements and consolidate the innovation foundation for new industrialization.
Core goals: By the end of 2027, build a national manufacturing pilot test service network with multi-subject participation, multi-field layout, and multi-level services, and basically establish a modern pilot test platform system.
Key tasks: "Strengthen a batch, activate a batch, and complement a batch"
Strengthening: Upgrade in a gradient manner following the path of "reserve - key cultivation by the ministry - national level" to build a "foundation - backbone - core" force of high-level platforms.
Activation: For platforms with public service attributes but insufficient vitality, carry out intelligent diagnosis, targeted improvement, training and exchanges, etc., to break through pain points, blocking points and difficulties; guide inefficient platforms to transform and develop, and focus on advantageous businesses.
Complement: Focusing on supply-shortage fields such as new materials, information technology, major equipment, as well as artificial intelligence, humanoid robots, quantum technology, clean low-carbon hydrogen, biomedicine, industrial mother machines, and instruments, establish and improve the regional pilot test capability layout.
Construction requirements: Emphasize preventing a rush to launch projects and blind advancement, avoid redundant construction and "involutionary" competition; promote collaborative linkage with high-tech zones, industrial parks, advanced manufacturing industries, and small and medium-sized enterprise clusters to form a superimposed effect.
Industry boost:
The recycling and reuse of waste plastics has been listed as a key direction for the construction of pilot platforms, focusing on the large-scale application of green and low-carbon technologies and recycled materials.
Support the pilot-scale verification of scaled-up recycling processes (such as chemical recycling) and high-end applications (such as food contact materials).
Key directions related to the plastic recycling industry
In the "Key Points (2025 Edition)", petrochemical industry is listed as an important sector of the raw material industry. Focusing on "green and low-carbon" and "key common technologies", it clearly puts forward:
Green and low-carbon technologies: electrification of large-scale installations, replacement of grey hydrogen with green hydrogen, recycling and utilization of waste plastics, utilization of non-grain biomass, treatment of volatile organic compounds, etc.
Commonality and Process Platforms: microchannel reaction, low-risk continuous production, etc.
Industrialization achievements: The goal is to realize the large-scale implementation of high-purity electronic chemicals, high-performance resins, functional membrane materials, bio-based materials, recycling materials, etc.
For those engaged in plastic recycling, the fact that "waste plastic recycling and reuse" has been explicitly included as one of the priority areas in the construction list of ministerial-level pilot-scale test platforms for the first time means that processes such as recycled plastic sorting, cleaning, melt extrusion, chemical recycling (e.g., depolymerization, solvent method, hydrocracking, etc.), and high-end applications of recycled materials (e.g., pilot-scale verification of food-contact-grade materials) are expected to receive systematic support in terms of public pilot-scale test conditions, process scaling-up, and quality evaluation.
New Observation: Potential Opportunities and Action Recommendations
Connecting with the "Reserve - Cultivation - National" path: strive to be included in the reserve pilot test platform or co-construct an experimental line with it, and improve the service list and data management in advance in accordance with the requirements of "public service attributes + open sharing".
Project application focusing on the pilot-scale test pain points of "waste plastic recycling and reuse": Prioritize the design of pilot-scale test topics and quantifiable performance indicators (such as energy and carbon consumption, water consumption, VOCs, yellowness/odor levels, recovery rate, and quality stability) for links including the adaptation of multi-source materials, in-depth deodorization and impurity removal, environmental protection cleaning and water recycling, high-end applications of PCR (such as food contact/electrical appliance casings/automotive interiors), and closed-loop verification of chemical recycling.
Connecting the "green hydrogen + chemical recycling" scenario: In conjunction with the direction of a clean and low-carbon hydrogen platform, explore coupling demonstrations such as green hydrogen hydrocracking/hydrofining, and form a low-carbon certification chain and LCA advantages.
Regional collaboration and industrial chain co-construction: Establish a pilot-scale supporting ecosystem with industrial parks, public utilities, hazardous waste treatment, and VOC treatment service providers to reduce the environmental compliance and public utility costs of individual enterprises.
Standardization and branding: Participate in the construction of pilot test standards, product certification, and traceability systems, enhance the consistency of PCR resins and recycled materials as well as customers' confidence, and promote large-scale procurement and long-term order signing.
