Overview

Tianjin has emerged as a national pioneer in developing a circular economy, leveraging its strategic role in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development strategy and its strong foundation in green and open development.

Tianjin's strength lies in its many platforms, which include a green development demonstration zone, a pilot free trade zone, data trading platforms, and a regional circular economy platform. This allowed it to become one of the Chinese cities to align its circular economy practices with international standards.

A comprehensive policy framework underpins this progress. Tianjin has issued detailed regulations on waste‑recycling systems, end‑of‑life vehicle management, construction‑waste utilization, and public‑sector material reuse. The city also strictly implements national tax incentives and regulatory requirements that support resource recovery and the recycling of major renewable materials.

In addition, Tianjin has established a well-developed recycling system. The city continues to strengthen waste sorting and recycling of household waste, renewable resources, landscaping waste, used materials from public institutions, and obsolete agricultural supplies.

The city now operates 4,595 renewable‑resource collection sites, 176 agricultural‑waste collection sites, 336 transfer stations, and 18 sorting centers.

Furthermore, Tianjin boasts a solid industrial base. The city has cultivated 120 enterprises above designated size which are engaged in the recycling and wholesale of renewable resources, 58 enterprises above designated size which speciale in comprehensive utilization of waste resources, and 34 white-listed renewable resource processing enterprises.

Competitive advantages

Tianjin's circular economy is further strengthened by a number of distinctive advantages. The city is home to the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, a landmark bilateral cooperation project that is being upgraded into a national green development demonstration zone. It also hosts China's first national-level economic and technological development zone specifically focusing on the circular economy – the Tianjin Ziya Economic and Technological Development Zone – as well as the Nangang Industrial Zone, a national-level green chemical industrial park.

In addition, Tianjin operates the country's leading end-of-life vehicle trading platform – the City Mine Shared Economy Platform – which brings together more than 100 qualified vehicle dismantling enterprises from across the nation. A number of prominent circular economy platform companies are experiencing rapid growth in the city.

In 2024, Tianjin welcomed the headquarters of China Resources Recycling Group, the country's first central State-owned enterprise focused on circular‑economy operations.

In 2025, the China-SCO Green Industry Cooperation Platform was inaugurated in Tianjin, strengthening the city's role in global green‑industry collaboration.