Sustainable Development and China: Recommendations for the Forestry, Cotton and E-products Sectors

The report analyzes the environmental and social footprints of China's rapid economic growth within three specific sectors: forestry, cotton, and E-products. It argues that because China is a central 'middleman' in global supply chains, it shares responsibility with international partners to address degradation. For forestry, the report highlights China's role as a major importer of illegally logged timber and recommends building capacity in supplying countries and adopting sustainable procurement. In the cotton sector, it notes high water and pesticide use in domestic production and suggests promoting sustainable sourcing and Sino-African cooperation. For E-products, it focuses on the crisis of E-waste and the toxicity of informal recycling, recommending a national E-waste strategy and international cooperation on responsible disposal. The overarching strategy emphasizes national capacity building, leveraging sustainable markets through green procurement, and active participation in international sustainability standards.

• China's rapid economic expansion has made it a primary driver of global environmental degradation, notably as the world's second largest source of greenhouse gases and a major consumer of coal.
• China is a critical importer of timber, with imports growing 300 per cent between 1997 and 2007, leading to its status as the most significant importer of illegally logged timber and contributing to deforestation in source countries like Indonesia (1.91 per cent) and Malaysia (0.65 per cent).
• In the cotton sector, Chinese domestic production is identified as being among the least resource-efficient globally, requiring 3,000 to 5,000 cubic metres of water per hectare and accounting for 30–40 per cent of all pesticides applied in China.
• The E-products sector in China faces a severe E-waste crisis, with an estimated two million tonnes generated domestically in 2006 and between two and 33 million tonnes of toxic E-waste entering the country illegally each year.
• E-waste recycling in China is dominated by informal workshops using hazardous methods such as open burning and acid stripping, exposing approximately one third of the 700,000 workers in the sector to toxic substances without adequate protection.
• The report recommends that China leverage its market power to improve sustainability by implementing green public procurement, providing preferential fiscal policies for sustainable products, and joining international initiatives like the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) and the EU's Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative.

APA

Potts, J., & Runnalls, D. (2008). Sustainable Development and China: Recommendations for the Forestry, Cotton and E-products Sectors. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_sd_sum_0.pdf

Chicago

Potts, Jason, and David Runnalls. Sustainable Development and China: Recommendations for the Forestry, Cotton and E-products Sectors. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2008. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_sd_sum_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Potts |first1=Jason |last2=Runnalls |first2=David |title=Sustainable Development and China: Recommendations for the Forestry, Cotton and E-products Sectors |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=December 2008 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_sd_sum_0.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{potts2008sustainable, author = {Potts, Jason and Runnalls, David}, title = {{Sustainable Development and China: Recommendations for the Forestry, Cotton and E-products Sectors}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2008}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_sd_sum_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }