Environmental industry faces challenges

The environmental protection industry in China has been booming in recent years with government support, but companies still face many problems in developing the industry into a pillar of the economy, an industrial association said on Tuesday.

Over the past decade, the environmental protection industry has recorded 15 percent growth annually, according to a report from the China Environmental Service Industry Association.

By the end of 2015, the industry's overall output was estimated at 4.5 trillion yuan ($680 billion), according to the National Development and Reform Commission.