The plastic tube association adopts the voluntary industry code
The plastic tube association adopts the voluntary industry code
The special committee of plastic and plastic piping in China has urged the industry to strengthen its efforts to stop the use of recycled materials and lead stabilizers to produce drinking water pipes.
As the government quality inspection to the public and media coverage will plastic pipe industry focus, can branch launched on April 1 for member enterprise self-discipline rules, including explicitly banned in drinking water use of recycled plastic and bribe to get the order.
The association unveiled the plan at the annual meeting. CCTV had previously revealed that plastic tube manufacturers used recycled materials to produce substandard drinking water pipes.
The Shanghai municipal water supply and drainage association, based in Shanghai, said at the meeting that recent local governments have also targeted plastic pipes.
In July 2013, for example, the water supply management agency in anhui province found that 10 out of 42 local drinking water PE pipe manufacturers were substandard. In march, zhejiang province launched a review of plastic pipe suppliers and found that only 10 percent met the standards.
Last year, China's health authorities first launched a review of plastic pipe manufacturers to inspect more than 150 plastic pipe production plants, the association said. This shows the public's growing concern about health and water pollution.
During the annual meeting of the China plastic association plastic piping committee held in kunming, yunnan province, April 1-3, environmental issues and industry self-discipline became the theme of the discussion.
The secretary-general, wang zhanjie, has criticized companies for using recycled materials to cut costs, a practice that has blackened the industry.
He said some of the irregularities had been exposed in the media, leaving the plastic pipe industry with an extremely nasty public impression. People think plastic tubes are toxic."
Some members say the use of substandard materials is more common in small businesses, which they say are more responsible for the use of materials.
The association said the new industry self-discipline program will include promotional campaigns to improve the plastic tube image.
Wang zhanjie said that the code of self-regulation has enforcement measures. The association will investigate and give warning to relevant enterprises based on the complaints received, and cancel the membership of unqualified enterprises when necessary.
Although the plastics industry attaches great importance to this voluntary code of self-discipline, the approach has its limitations, such as its limited role in member companies.
The association says it now estimates that there are between 6,000 and 10,000 plastic pipe manufacturers nationwide, of which only about 400 have joined the club. But the association stresses that the 400 companies account for 70 per cent of China's total plastic pipe production.
Non-member companies can also sign up for self-discipline, wang said.
Speakers called for the government to strengthen the supervision, but zhan-jie wang believes that there is no sign that the government plans on a large scale industry consolidation, like last year's "hedge" action against plastic recycling industry.
The director of the China's urban water supply and drainage association of zheng "plastic news" interview, said the government should take more drastic measures to punish illegal enterprises use recycled materials in drinking water.
He thinks the problem can be solved, and public attention and discussion can be helpful to solve the problem.
Other material related issues were also discussed at the meeting.
Qian guijing, President of the China plastics processing industry association, said the plastics industry needed to be more "disciplined" in production and urged industry companies not to use lead as a stabilizer for PVC pipes.
Mr. Wang said the committee is working with companies to phase out lead in all PVC pipeline applications and expects all members to agree to switch to calcium or other stabilizers by the end of 2015.
But other participants noted that recycled materials and lead were cheaper than raw materials or other stabilizers.
Industry officials say the industry is facing severe overcapacity, with China's plastic pipe capacity of 25m tonnes, more than twice the current demand, so the economic pressure to save costs remains high.
Some participants, including the President of the yunnan plastics industry association, said that the use of bribes in exchange for contracts was another risk factor for using poor-quality water pipes. The committee stressed that violations were part of the reason for their self-regulation.
The code of self-discipline includes not making improper or illegal actions, such as taking bribes to compete in the market.
One industry regulator said China's pipeline industry has grown too fast in recent years and that government surveillance has failed to keep pace.
From liaoning yingkou prosperous flat pipe group (China) co., LTD., said executives Jiang Gucheng, now China's economic growth slowed, the authorities should strengthen the supervision, after a period of time, as the industry matures, this kind of problem will reduce the use of renewable materials.
