Industrial activities in China have not only significantly contributed to the unprecedented economic growth in China but have also led to severe environmental pollution and to growing amounts of hazardous waste. In order to address this situation, the governments of China and Germany designed the six-year programme "Environment-oriented Enterprise Consultancy Zhejiang (EECZ)" to tackle the issues of hazardous waste management and eco-efficient production.

The EECZ programme is based on a formal agreement between the governments of China and Germany signed in June 2002. As a result, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH has been commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Econonic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), to carry out this cooperation programme in the pilot province of Zhejiang together with the Zhejiang Environmental Protection Bureau as implementing agency and other important institutions such as the Zhejiang Economic and Trade Commission.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH is an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. It provides viable, forward-looking solutions for political, economic, ecological and social development in a globalised world.

With 25 years experience in technical cooperation in China, GTZ now focuses on sustainable economic development, environmental policy and energy management. The challenges of resources efficiency and climate change feature highly on GTZ's agenda.

The EECZ programme concentrates on the reduction of environmental pollution caused by hazardous waste disposal and industrial activities in the province of Zhejiang by:

  Establishing a well-regulated hazardous waste management system.

  Supporting cleaner and eco-efficient production.

This is pursued by both innovative and exemplary approaches. The programme shall also build bridges between German and Chinese technology companies. All relevant experiences shall continuously be disseminated and communicated to the national level and to the other provinces in China.