State-led Environmentalism and China’s E-waste Industry: A Case Study of Shanghai

Abstract

In this master’s thesis, I examine China's environmental policy in practice, with a focus on Shanghai as a case study. I base my analysis on theories of authoritarian environmentalism and explore whether such a system of government offers different opportunities for implementing effective environmental policies. Through qualitative interviews conducted over the course of 10 months in Shanghai, I examined how government policies have affected those working in the collection and recycling of electronic waste, a type of waste that is increasing all over the world and consist of materials which cause severe environmental damage if not collected and recycled properly.

The recycling industry in Shanghai, and in China more broadly, has long been dominated by informal workers, often migrant workers from the surrounding provinces. In this thesis, I examine how government attempts to formalise this sector have affected informal workers. My main findings suggest that the formalisation process has affected informal workers in the three following ways; first, it has led to increased stigmatisation of an already marginalised group, namely migrant workers. Second, formal and informal sectors collaborate closely to achieve effective collection and recycling of electronic waste, however, the informal workers remain largely unrecognised. Third, the formalisation affects informal workers opportunities to live and work in Shanghai.