No production halts, no output restrictions, no inspections, and no disruptions! The state has issued the order—could this finally be a lifeline for the chemical industry?

Release Date:

2019-12-03

　　On November 25, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment reprinted an editorial from People’s Daily, once again sharply criticizing the “one-size-fits-all” approach and calling for more refined environmental protection measures. Meanwhile, Hebei Province took the lead nationwide in establishing a positive-list system for ecological and environmental supervision, giving priority to compliant enterprises by ensuring their production and business operations are not disrupted during emergency emission-reduction periods under severe pollution conditions—no shutdowns, no production limits, no inspections, and no unnecessary interference.
　　From this perspective, the country’s policy direction is shifting, and environmental protection policies are becoming increasingly targeted—good news for our chemical industry.
　　The one-size-fits-all approach to environmental protection seriously undermines the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises.
　　The “one-size-fits-all” approach to environmental protection refers to a practice in which certain regulatory authorities, when addressing environmental issues, impose blanket suspensions without distinguishing between legitimate and unlawful cases, adopting a “stop first, sort it out later” stance. Over the past two to three years, during local environmental remediation campaigns, this “one-size-fits-all” approach has been far from uncommon.
　　Recently, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment reported a typical case: In Linyi, Shandong Province, authorities failed to take meaningful action on air pollution control in routine operations, only resorting to a one-size-fits-all approach when accountability was due. This resulted in the widespread closure of catering businesses in several streets and towns within the jurisdiction, the collective suspension of production at more than 400 panel‑manufacturing enterprises, and the shutdown of over 20 freight‑transport parking lots, severely disrupting the local population’s daily lives and economic activities.
　　The previous environmental‑protection crackdown swept across the country, with comprehensive inspections launched at provincial, municipal, and county levels. During this wave of enforcement, some localities resorted to blanket measures on a large scale, leaving many enterprises without water or electricity and forcing them to suspend production. This not only disrupted normal business operations but also triggered turmoil in numerous industries.
　　Ministry of Ecology and Environment: Launches a three-month special campaign to address one-size-fits-all approaches.
　　Starting in September this year, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment launched a three-month special rectification campaign, focusing on addressing the indiscriminate “one-size-fits-all” approaches prevalent in some localities’ environmental protection efforts, thereby effectively safeguarding the environmental rights and interests of the public as well as the legitimate rights and interests of law-abiding enterprises.
　　On October 24, China promulgated its first administrative regulation aimed at optimizing the business environment—the Regulations on Optimizing the Business Environment. Addressing the practice of “one-size-fits-all” measures, the Regulations include a dedicated provision stipulating that, except in specific circumstances, market entities may not be required to universally suspend production or cease operations, thereby helping to rectify such issues through rule-of-law-based approaches.
　　Under the article posted on the Ministry of Ecology and Environment’s official Weibo account, relevant departments across various regions have also shared and liked it. With the guidance of national policies, the issue of one-size-fits-all approaches is expected to gradually improve, allowing many compliant enterprises that had suspended operations to resume business, and ensuring that our chemical industry will continue to thrive.