Sino-German Environmental Partnership (SGEP) Phase III

State of implementation/results

• The project supports a wide range of work streams of bilateral dialogue between the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China (MEE) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) and their affiliated institutions, including the German Environment Agency (UBA), the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), and the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center of MEE (FECO).
• Beyond these dialogue formats, The project facilitates exchanges and training measures with MEE over the coming two years in the fields of biodiversity conservation, reduction of plastic pollution and marine litter, and management of chemicals. These activities strengthen technical cooperation and policy dialogue.
• The project coordinates the German contribution to the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), the multilateral environmental advisory body of the Chinese government. German experts contribute to CCICED on circular economy, digitalisation and green technologies, and gender equality.
• In January 2026, six pilot projects were approved that address issues related to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in various sectors, including EPR in the recycling of wind turbine blades, EPR in the closed-loop recycling of plastics from vehicle to vehicle, EPR research on the ecological modification of packaging and recycled PET for use in food packaging.-- In December 2025, the EU-China workshop on “Transition to a Circular Economy – Circular Solar: Decommissioning of Photovoltaic (PV) Systems,” which provided a platform for dialogue and the mutual exchange of experiences regarding circular concepts in the solar sector as well as the recycling of decommissioned PV modules.
• In November 2025, a study tour organised by CCICED took place in Germany. The delegation met with stakeholders from the EU and Germany and exchanged views on the topics of biodiversity, climate protection, just transition, and the circular economy. A report with policy recommendations was submitted to MEE.
• As part of the work with CCICED, a Special Policy Study (SPS) on the circular economy was developed. Link: cciced.eco/… – Together with FECO, the project conducted three expert exchanges on the topic of chemicals management in 2025.
• As part of the SPS, a delegation tour to Europe took place from 22–28 June 2025. Participants visited institutions in Germany and Belgium, including ministries, companies, and research organisations, to explore European approaches to circular economy, particularly in the textile and chemical sectors. The visit contributed to the SPS research and policy recommendations.
• UBA, the Nankai University, and the World Economic Forum led a SPS on “Digital-Green Dual Transformation and Sustainable Development of Cities”. The SPS was co-led by Prof. Dirk Messner, President of UBA and council member of CCICED. The SPS summarised practical experience to empower sustainable urban development through digital and green technologies. The policy recommendations from the SPS were submitted to the State Council of China in 2025.
• On 26–27 May 2025, the EU-China Circular Economy Action Project hosted policy workshops in Beijing on textile circularity and food-grade use of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (r-PET), bringing together policymakers, researchers, and industry representatives.
• From 19–29 April 2025, the same project held a public campaign titled “Plastic Reduction, We’re Cup-letely Ready” at SOLANA Shopping Mall in Beijing to promote reusable models to consumers. The campaign reached 1,600 participants and over 100,000 people online.
• In 2024, the project supported the EU-co-funded dialogues between the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the European Union (EU) on the topic of the circular economy.

Latest Update:
05/2026

Further links

• CCICED Special Policy Study Report - Digital-Green Dual Transformation and the Sustainable Development of Cities (2024) (EN)