Abstract: High-quality development is the primary task of developing new quality productive forces. In the process of developing new quality productive forces, it must properly handle the relationship between emerging industries and traditional industries, and it must not neglect or abandon traditional industries. nonferrous metal industry in the development process is facing more severe energy consumption, emissions and pollution problems and difficulties due to the characteristics of production process. Innovation is the first driving force for development. In the course of nearly ten years of development, the nonferrous metal industry has followed the national policy guidelines, actively responded to the call of the state, and made great progress in process upgrading, energy saving and emission reduction, green and low carbon by relying on technological innovation and transformation, laying a solid foundation for the industry to achieve modern and high-quality development. After entering the new development stage, the degree of cross-correlation and integration of upstream and downstream, left and right banks of the nonferrous metals industry is deeper, and the demand for green, digital, intelligent and high-end transformation and upgrading is more urgent. Currently, the proposal of new quality productive forces provides new impetus and fundamental guidance for the future development of the industry for high-quality development and reshaping new competitive advantages. Although the variety and application of nonferrous metals is rich and wide, the difference in production process and scale is obvious, the needs and goals of the whole industry to achieve transformation and upgrading and high-quality development by leveraging new quality productive forces are consistent. This paper takes the lead and zinc industry as the representative, combined with the development achievements of the lead and zinc industry in recent years under the support and guidance of the state to affirm and clarify the significance of innovation enabling the development and transformation of traditional industries, as well as the needs and potential of traditional industries to leverage and develop new quality productive forces in the future. From the perspective of policy research, the targeted policy documents closely related to the high-quality development of the nonferrous metal industry in the past three years are reviewed, and the state’s support and guidance for the development of new quality productive forces of the nonferrous metal industry, especially the lead and zinc industry, is analyzed. In view of the problems and challenges that the lead and zinc industry has or may face in the future in the development of new quality productive forces in the new development stage, the paper puts forward relevant suggestions such as the need for policies to keep pace with the times, the continuous cultivation of technological innovation ability, the training and cultivation of high-quality talents, and the unremitting promotion of international cooperation.