What is a Chinese pollutant discharge permit, and what does it prove about a factory?
A pollutant discharge permit (排污许可证) is the licence a factory in an industry on China's classification list needs before it may emit to air or water. It is issued by the municipal or provincial Ecology and Environment Bureau, is valid for five years, and is published on a national platform with the factory's address, and for the permit tier, its products, capacity and processes. It is one of the few public records that ties a company to a production address.
Three tiers
The Regulation on the Administration of Pollutant Discharge Permits (State Council Order No. 736, in force 1 March 2021) sorts emitting units by how much they emit and how much they affect the environment:
| tier | Chinese | who | what is public |
|---|---|---|---|
| key management | 重点管理 | large emitters | the full permit: site, products, capacity, processes, outlets, limits, monitoring |
| simplified management | 简化管理 | smaller emitters | a permit with a shorter record; site, products, capacity |
| registration | 登记管理 | low-emission units | a registration only, filed by the unit itself: a shorter record than a permit |
Which tier a unit falls into is set by a published classification list by industry and size, not by the unit's own choice.
What each tier proves
A permit (key or simplified) binds a named company to a production address and states what is made there and at what capacity. A registration binds the company to an address with a shorter record. Units outside the classification list need neither a permit nor a registration. For products under China Compulsory Certification (CCC), the factory named on the certificate is another public record of a site.
A permit does not prove product quality, export capability or that the company sells what it makes. It proves a site.
Validity and status
Permits run five years and must be renewed. The platform shows each permit's status; a permit that has lapsed, been changed, or been withdrawn is shown as such. A lapsed permit is a fact to ask the factory about, not a quality finding; the register records the state, not the reason.
Reading the platform entry
| field | Chinese | use |
|---|---|---|
| permit number | 许可证编号 | the lookup key; it embeds the USCC |
| unit name | 排污单位名称 | must match the registered Chinese name of the company you are dealing with |
| production address | 生产经营场所地址 | the factory; compare with the registered address on the license and with the address you were given |
| management category | 管理类别 | key / simplified / registration, see the table above |
| validity | 有效期 | permits: five years from issue |
| main products and capacity | 主要产品及产能 | permit tiers only |
What Clacta does
Clacta looks the permit up by the company's exact identifier on the national platform and prints the tier, the address, the validity and, for permit tiers, the products and capacity as published. A company bound to a permit-tier site is shown as a production site on the permit register; a registration-tier company is shown as registered at that address, and the report says which. A company with neither is shown with no source yet for a production site, unless a CCC factory registration binds it.
Sources
- Regulation on the Administration of Pollutant Discharge Permits (排污许可管理条例), State Council Order No. 736, in force 1 March 2021, issued by the State Council; administered by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE)
- National pollutant discharge permit management information platform, operated by MEE, for permits and registrations as published
- The municipal or provincial Ecology and Environment Bureau named on each permit as the issuing authority
Cross-check, Clacta.