This PhD thesis analyzes the evolution of circular economy in China from the end of the 1990s until the 2020s. For the first time, it addresses the functions and contributions of quality infrastructure (QI) in this evolution. QI is a rather new concept referring to a system of knowledge, practices and technologies that form a technical basis of rules that shape the operations of economies and societies to ensure the safety and quality of products and to create trust between market actors. Through disseminating knowledge about circular economy, QI contributes to the green transition.

Based on the analysis of a large number of Chinese and Western sources ranging from policy to legal and technical documents, the thesis traces the evolution of circular economy policies in China and its integration with green and low carbon policies. It provides ample evidence for the role of QI and its elements, standardization, conformity assessment (testing, inspection and certification), market surveillance and others, as important components of China’s economic and technological policy towards a green transition. The thesis shows that the evolution of China’s policies has been shaped by aligning two contradictory goals: To reach the level of an advanced industrial country by 2049 and to maintain a livable ecological environment by reducing environmental impacts and handling increasingly severe resource constraints.

The thesis demonstrates that rules developed, and instruments disseminated through the QI system are essential to achieving a green transition and increasing the circularity of materials and products. While significant challenges in resource use and pollution in China will remain, without the circular economy measures the negative impacts would have been by far larger. Having already an essential role, the contributions of QI and its instruments can be expected, in line with digitalization, to further increase in importance in the future.