Preface

In 2017, the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held successfully, establishing General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guiding ideology. At present, China’s economic development has shifted from a stage of high-speed growth to one of high-quality development. The strategic positioning that “building an ecological civilization is a millennium-long plan for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation” has set new and higher requirements for the green development of China’s sand and gravel industry. In the practice of green development, China’s sand and gravel aggregate industry has achieved significant accomplishments, including accelerating industrial transformation and upgrading, speeding up the processes of industrialization, green environmental protection, and promoting the application of new concepts, new models, new technologies, and highly efficient, energy-saving, and environmentally friendly equipment; expediting the establishment of standards, specifications, and quality systems; hastening the construction of green mines in the sand and gravel sector; building a green industrial system for sand and gravel aggregates; and actively participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. Several major events of historic significance have taken place during this period. As 2018 approaches, the China Sand and Gravel Association has undertaken a comprehensive review of these achievements, aiming to remind sand and gravel professionals—full of ideals and aspirations—to keep their mission firmly in mind, stay true to their original intentions, draw lessons from past experiences, and forge ahead with renewed determination. In the coming year, they will continue to work steadily and diligently together, jointly promoting the green and scientific development of China’s sand and gravel industry.

1. Six ministries and commissions jointly issued a document to build green mines, outlining three major goals and four key tasks.

To fully implement the new development philosophy and the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, accelerate the transformation of the mining industry and promote green development, and advance ecological civilization construction in the mining sector, in May 2017, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the China Banking Regulatory Commission, and the China Securities Regulatory Commission jointly issued the “Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of Green Mines” (hereinafter referred to as the “Implementation Opinions”), thereby comprehensively advancing the work of building green mines.
 

The Implementation Opinions clearly define three major objectives for green mine construction: First, to basically establish a new pattern for green mine development; second, to explore new approaches for transforming the mode of mineral resource development; and third, to establish a new mechanism for promoting green mining development.

The “Implementation Opinions” outline four key tasks: First, develop leading standards; second, comprehensively promote the construction of green mines; third, accelerate the advancement of green exploration; and fourth, establish demonstration zones for green mining development.

The Implementation Opinions propose the implementation of “four types” of support policies: First, policy support for mineral resources; second, guaranteed land use for green mining; third, fiscal policy support; and fourth, support from green finance.

The “Implementation Opinions” clearly define the construction requirements for “eight categories.” They specify the green mine construction requirements for seven industries—coal, petroleum, nonferrous metals, gold, metallurgy, chemical industry, and nonmetals—as well as the construction requirements for one demonstration zone for green mining development. These guidelines provide direction for green mine construction tailored to specific industries and regions, and also serve as a basis for local authorities to formulate detailed standards. The “Implementation Opinions” offer policy support for incorporating green mine construction in the sand and gravel aggregate industry into the national green mine construction standard system.

2. Implement the “Five Major” Development Concepts and Build a Green Aggregate Industry System

China’s overall levels of industrial resource consumption, energy consumption, and pollutant emissions remain relatively high, and at this stage, the environment’s carrying capacity is nearing its upper limit. As China’s economic aggregate continues to grow from its position as the world’s second-largest economy, the extensive development model has exacerbated issues such as tightening resource constraints, severe environmental pollution, and ecosystem degradation, increasingly becoming a bottleneck that hinders improvements in development quality and the achievement of sustainable development.
 

For a long time, China’s sand and gravel aggregate industry has followed a traditional, extensive development model. As China continues to strengthen its efforts in resource extraction and environmental protection, it is imperative to accelerate the transformation and upgrading of this sector, embracing a path of green and sustainable development. Building a green sand and gravel aggregate industrial system has become an inevitable choice.

To implement the development philosophy of “innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and shared benefits,” the China Sand and Gravel Association convened the 4th National Innovation Conference for the Sand and Gravel Aggregate Industry in July 2017. During the conference, Chairman Hu Youyi delivered a keynote speech titled “Building a Green Sand and Gravel Aggregate Industrial System.” The speech proposed:

(1) The history of the evolution and progress of human civilization demonstrates that “when ecology prospers, civilization prospers; when ecology declines, civilization declines.” Today, China has become the world’s largest manufacturing country. To further enhance the quality and efficiency of economic development, we must pursue a path of green, circular, and low-carbon development—achieving the highest possible economic and ecological benefits with the least possible use of resources and the lowest possible energy consumption.

(2) As a new development model, green development has become an important component of strategic development plans across countries and industries. Green manufacturing requires, while ensuring product functionality and quality, comprehensively considering environmental impacts and resource efficiency. Through technological innovation and systematic optimization, it integrates green design, green technologies and processes, green production, green management, green supply chains, and green employment throughout the entire product lifecycle—thereby minimizing environmental impacts, maximizing resource and energy utilization, and achieving a coordinated and optimized balance among economic, ecological, and social benefits.

(3) The greening of the sand and gravel aggregate industry represents a profound transformation that affects production methods, lifestyles, modes of thinking, and value systems. Drawing on the experience of green development in other countries, we can build a green sand and gravel aggregate industry system by addressing key areas such as policies and regulations, industrial planning, quality standards, certification systems, comprehensive green planning and design, green manufacturing of equipment, green production of sand and gravel aggregates, green transportation, green distribution and logistics centers, integration of “two modernizations,” demonstration bases, technological innovation, recycling of solid waste resources, ecological restoration of stone quarries, talent development, and incentive and constraint mechanisms. This provides a clear direction for building a green sand and gravel aggregate industry system.

3. “Sand and Gravel Aggregate 4.0” is publicly released, marking the emergence of the integrated development concept for the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries.

Hu Youyi, President of the China Sand and Gravel Association, delivered a keynote speech titled “Sand and Gravel Aggregate 4.0” at the 4th China International Sand and Gravel Aggregate Conference. The speech highlighted the achievements made in recent years by China’s sand and gravel aggregate industry in terms of transformation, upgrading, and green development; showcased exemplary new, environmentally friendly, and modern sand and gravel aggregate enterprises; presented case studies on the application of high-performance sand and gravel aggregates in key national projects; and discussed topics such as the comprehensive utilization of solid waste resources and ecological restoration of abandoned quarries.
 

The report for the first time proposes a scientific approach to the development of sand and gravel aggregates, establishing the discipline of Sand and Gravel Materials Engineering. From a materials science perspective, it conducts in-depth research into the physical, chemical, and process-related properties of sand and gravel aggregates. Furthermore, in alignment with emerging trends in infrastructure development—including construction, roads, and bridges—the report outlines future directions for the development of sand and gravel aggregates and related industries: Sand and Gravel Aggregate 1.0—building green and environmentally friendly sand and gravel aggregate plants; Sand and Gravel Aggregate 2.0—expanding the sand and gravel aggregate industrial chain; Sand and Gravel Aggregate 3.0—developing green building material industrial parks; and Sand and Gravel Aggregate 4.0—creating industrial parks that integrate everything from stone mining at the source all the way through to the manufacturing of concrete components and prefabricated building elements. These parks will also incorporate social functions across the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors, including education, leisure and vacation facilities, ecological agriculture, ecological forestry, mineral museums, wineries, and other public services, thus fostering a new model of integrated development. Ultimately, this approach aims to achieve transformative development, green development, innovative development, cooperative development, integrated development, shared development, and harmonious development.

4. The “Norms for Green Mine Construction in the Sand and Gravel Industry” have been reviewed and approved by the relevant authorities.
 

As the nation continues to strengthen and deepen its efforts in ecological civilization construction, the pace of green mine development among sand-and-gravel enterprises has significantly accelerated. To keep pace with industry trends, the China Sand and Gravel Association has organized relevant institutions and experts to draft the "Norms for Green Mine Construction in the Sand-and-Gravel Industry." It is hoped that this standard will promote the coordinated development of stone resource exploitation and the ecological environment, thereby achieving green, healthy, and sustainable development in the stone mining sector. The "Norms for Green Mine Construction in the Sand-and-Gravel Industry" sets forth clear requirements covering such aspects as "basic requirements for green mine construction, mine area environment, methods of resource exploration and utilization, comprehensive resource utilization, energy conservation and emission reduction, scientific and technological innovation and digital mines, as well as enterprise management and corporate image." In December, the "Norms for Green Mine Construction in the Sand-and-Gravel Industry," along with green mine construction norms for nine other industries, passed the technical review by the Subtechnical Committee on Standardization for the Economical and Intensive Utilization of Mineral Resources under the National Technical Committee for Standardization of Land and Resources. These norms are expected to be promulgated and implemented next year. The formulation and release of these norms will greatly boost the development of green mines by sand-and-gravel aggregate enterprises.

5. First release of a group standard to strengthen standardized management in the industry.

The “Administrative Measures for Group Standards of the China Sand and Stone Association (Trial)” have been formulated. Registration of the China Sand and Stone Association as a group has been completed on the National Group Standards Information Platform, and in accordance with relevant requirements, preparations are underway to establish the Standardization Technical Committee of the China Sand and Stone Association.
 

During the transformation and upgrading of the sand-and-gravel industry, green production, green transportation, and green mine construction have received great attention, necessitating the development of relevant green evaluation standards and systems. Moreover, there are increasingly stringent requirements for the production and application of high-quality sand-and-gravel aggregates, prompting production enterprises to establish product testing laboratories and conduct rigorous quality inspections. To keep pace with industry developments, the Sand-and-Gravel Association has organized relevant organizations and experts to draft four standards. Among these, the "Norm for Green Mine Construction in the Sand-and-Gravel Aggregate Industry" has been submitted to the Ministry of Natural Resources for review and will be issued as an industry standard by the Ministry. The three other standards—“Aggregates for High-Performance Concrete,” “Regulations for Green Production and Transportation of Sand-and-Gravel Aggregates,” and “Basic Requirements for Testing Laboratories of Mechanically Produced Sand-and-Gravel Enterprises”—will be released as association group standards after passing the review. The formulation and publication of these standards will play a significant role in promoting green mine construction, quality system development, green production and transportation, and overall improvement of product quality among sand-and-gravel aggregate enterprises.

6 The 4th National Conference on Innovation in the Sand, Gravel, and Aggregate Industry was held, with over 500 delegates enthusiastically discussing innovation and green development in the industry.

In July 2017, the China Sand and Gravel Association convened the 4th National Innovation Conference for the Sand and Gravel Industry, themed “Green Development, Innovation, Breakthroughs, Pragmatism, and Building a Green Industrial System for Sand and Gravel Aggregates.” More than 500 delegates attended the conference, and nearly 40 experts delivered presentations. The content of these presentations covered: national and industry-related policies; new business philosophies and models for enterprises; advanced, efficient, energy-saving, and environmentally friendly technologies and equipment; integration of stone mine resources, construction of green mines and harmonious mining areas; quality control and testing technologies for sand and gravel aggregates; stone mining operations; civilian explosives technologies and new rock-drilling and hole-boring techniques; applications of intelligent control, online monitoring, and the integration of “two modernizations”; extension of the industrial chain; planning and construction of industrial parks and eco-parks; technologies and product applications for the recycling of waste rock, tailings, and construction solid wastes; as well as ecological restoration of stone mine environments and the application of topsoil spraying technologies.
 

Chairman Hu Youyi delivered a keynote report titled “Building a Green Aggregate Industry System.” He pointed out that green development and the construction of green mines have become national policies and have been elevated to national actions. As China continues to tighten restrictions on the extraction of natural sand and gravel resources and intensifies environmental protection efforts, the sand and gravel industry is accelerating its transformation and upgrading. Adopting a path of green and sustainable development and building a green aggregate industry system has become an inevitable choice. He proposed a future development model for the sand and gravel industry—starting with the construction of green sand and gravel plants, moving on to extending the sand and gravel industrial chain and establishing green building materials industrial parks, and ultimately evolving into eco-industrial parks centered on stone mining operations.

7. The 4th International Aggregate Conference was held, bringing together over 700 delegates to discuss global trends in the aggregate industry.
 

In recent years, China’s sand and gravel industry has seen a marked acceleration in its transformation, upgrading, and industrialization. New concepts, new business models, advanced technologies, and highly efficient, energy-saving, and environmentally friendly equipment have continuously emerged. To accelerate the modernization of the sand and gravel aggregate industry and to encourage Chinese sand and gravel aggregate and equipment enterprises to go global and participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, thus jointly building a community with a shared future for the global sand and gravel aggregate industry, the China Sand and Gravel Association held the 4th China International Sand and Gravel Aggregate Conference and the 2nd China International Recycled Aggregate Conference in December 2017, under the theme “Green, Intelligent Manufacturing, Integration, Sharing—A New Vision of Green Mountains and Clear Waters, a New Chapter for the Belt and Road.” Nearly 700 delegates attended the conference, along with more than 30 domestic and international experts who discussed topics including relevant policies for the sand and gravel industry at home and abroad, green mine construction, green production and transportation, the international market entry strategies of sand and gravel aggregate and equipment enterprises, the application of sand and gravel aggregates in major international infrastructure projects, the planning and construction of eco-industrial parks centered on stone quarries, several recommendations for Chinese sand and gravel aggregate and equipment enterprises seeking opportunities in ASEAN, as well as new processes, technologies, and equipment in the sand and gravel industry. The conference played an important role in fostering international communication and exchange, exploring new models of international cooperation, leveraging new technologies, standards, and industrial policies to drive profound adjustments in industrial structure, and elevating the level of both the sand and gravel aggregate industry and the manufacturing of crushing equipment to new heights.

The 8th Mining Development Strategic Alliance was established in Beijing, joining forces to jointly promote the development of green mining.

In December, under the guidance and support of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the “Green Mining Development Strategy Alliance” was jointly initiated and established by 61 organizations, including the China Mining Association, relevant industry associations, mining enterprises, geological exploration units, research institutes, and third-party service providers. The China Sand and Gravel Association was recommended as a vice-chairman unit.
 

The “Green Mining Development Strategy Alliance,” guided by the principles of mutual learning, coordinated services, and win-win cooperation, will integrate domestic industry resources, leverage the combined strengths of enterprises, and build an efficient service platform for green exploration and green mine construction. This initiative is a crucial step toward fully implementing the "Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of Green Mines" issued by the six ministries and commissions, effectively strengthening ecological civilization building in the mining sector, and promoting a transformation in the mining development model toward green growth.

The “Green Mining Development Strategy Alliance” will promote policies and regulations for green mining development; advance the formulation and implementation of green mining standards; expand the scientific and technological support for green mining development; seek financial support for green mining initiatives; provide professional consulting, technical services, and business training in areas such as planning, technology, finance, and information; and facilitate exchanges of experience in green mining development.

9. Guided by the “Two Mountains Theory,” the Green Mining Branch is established.

Guided by the "Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of Green Mines" issued by six government departments, the construction of sand and gravel aggregate mines has been incorporated into the national green mine development framework. To promote the development of green mines in the sand and gravel industry, the China Sand and Gravel Association established the Green Mine Branch in November 2017. Lin Yuan, Chairman of Xi'an Ruidibaoer Building Materials Co., Ltd., was elected as the President of the Green Mine Branch of the China Sand and Gravel Association.