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2014-October-13

Jinan Eco-Energy Brings Its Green Dream to the World

Niu Bin, a Dream Chaser

Eco-Energy began researching plastic pyrolysis in 1988. Niu Bin, the founder, launched his business in 1984 and opened China’s first plastic pyrolysis plant in 1988. Business was brisk until five years later, when the government shut it down in a campaign to eradicate small, polluting chemical operations.

“I loved this cause, and didn’t want to give up,” Niu says. But he understood that outdated technologies and operations were doomed to be wiped out as the industry developed. To survive, his factory had to revolutionize itself.

Niu was given five days’ notice of the shutdown. To cut losses, he asked his staff to run machines at full steam to process as much raw material as possible. In his haste he accidentally discovered iron wires in the byproducts, which he traced back to waste tires. Niu then realized that there were unexploited business opportunities. He reopened the factory in a new location, adopted green technology, and launched independent research on continuous, automatic, emissions-free manufacturing, a novel idea at the time. These early endeavors laid a solid foundation for its later technological advantages in the industry.

At the helm of Eco-Energy, Niu Bin is a firm believer that “science and technology are the core drivers for business growth.” The company invests huge sums of money and time in research and development, and conducts extensive cooperation with top Chinese universities like Tsinghua, Nankai, and Qingdao University of Science and Technology.

While some businesses aspire to solicit external investment, Niu lays greater store on introducing advanced management practices and high-caliber technicians. He tries to build a family ambience at the company, offering timely help to every employee in need. At the 30th anniversary celebration, his staff presented him with a Special Contribution Award in thanks.

His career in environmental protection has reshaped Niu’s attitudes towards life and society. “People at my age have more understanding of life. Someone who is struggling for daily subsistence has little to contribute to public welfare or the development of an industry. But someone with a certain success can think less about money and more about social responsibilities,” he explained.

Niu Bin is working hard to advance innovation in China and build a better world via science and technology. It will be a long journey, but Eco-Energy is making steady headway. It is preparing for a public listing abroad.

For the moment Niu Bin is most concerned about finding a successor who will lead the company to greater development. “Then I can bow out,” Niu chuckled.

 

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