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 phase 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 and witnessed several historically important events, including accelerating the industry’s transformation and upgrading, speeding up industrialization and the transition toward green and environmentally friendly practices, promoting the application of new concepts, new models, new technologies, and highly efficient, energy-saving, and environmentally friendly equipment, expediting the establishment of standards, regulations, 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. As the year 2018 approaches, the China Sand and Gravel Association has taken stock 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, ranking second in the world, 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 the industry, embrace green and sustainable development, and build a green sand and gravel aggregate industrial system—a choice that is now inevitable.

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 historical evolution and progress of human civilization demonstrate 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 taking into account 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 experiences of foreign countries in green development, we can build a green sand and gravel aggregate industry system by focusing on the following aspects: policy and regulatory frameworks, 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 cultivation, and incentive and constraint mechanisms. This approach provides clear guidance for establishing 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 newly established, 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.