A major plan has been released, setting forth these requirements for the steel industry.
On December 27, according to the website of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and six other departments jointly issued the “Action Plan for Building the Yangtze River Delta as a Pioneering Zone for a Beautiful China” (hereinafter referred to as the “Yangtze River Delta Action Plan”) and the “Action Plan for Building the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region as a Pioneering Zone for a Beautiful China” (hereinafter referred to as the “Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Action Plan”).
The “Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Action Plan” clearly states that, based on the strategic requirement of building Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei as a pioneering and exemplary region for Chinese-style modernization, the region will take the lead in achieving breakthroughs by accelerating improvements in ecological environment quality, optimizing and adjusting the three major structures, and exploring innovative approaches to regional collaborative governance. The plan places particular emphasis on enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of air pollution control, strengthening capacity to adapt to climate change, and creating a demonstration zone for synergistic pollution reduction, carbon reduction, and ecological restoration in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The “Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Action Plan” outlines 22 key tasks across six areas: green and low-carbon transformation, improvement of environmental quality, ecological protection and restoration, ecological security assurance, practice of model beautiful regions, and innovation-driven technological advancement.
Among these efforts, in building a pioneering zone for green and low-carbon transformation and accelerating the green and low-carbon transition of industrial structures, the “Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Action Plan” calls for actively promoting the use of green and low-carbon steel. It also calls for conducting clean production audits in key industries and implementing green and digital upgrading projects for traditional sectors such as iron and steel, building materials, and petrochemicals. Newly built and eligible existing or expanded “high-energy consumption and high-emission” projects should achieve benchmark energy efficiency levels and attain Class A or leading-level environmental performance. Furthermore, the plan aims to build green factories, green industrial parks, and green supply chains. By 2027, the goal is to have cumulatively established more than 700 national-level green factories.
In building pilot zones for improving environmental quality and fighting the battle to safeguard blue skies with even higher standards, the “Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Action Plan” clearly outlines the implementation of initiatives aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of air pollution control in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and surrounding areas. It will refine regional coordinated emission reduction mechanisms for prolonged, large-scale pollution episodes during autumn and winter, enabling coordinated responses to moderate and severe pollution events and implementing differentiated production controls during periods of heavy pollution. Furthermore, it will launch targeted actions to improve the environmental performance of key industries, completing efforts in sectors such as steel. Cement Ultra-low emission retrofit for the coking industry.
The Yangtze River Delta Initiative clearly states that the Yangtze River Delta should focus on two key priorities—integration and high-quality development—and take the lead in achieving breakthroughs in developing green productivity and jointly protecting and governing the ecological environment. It emphasizes the alignment of regional rule-of-law standards, differentiated ecological management by zone, and smart governance, aiming to build the Yangtze River Delta into a model region for high-level environmental protection that drives high-quality development. The Yangtze River Delta Initiative outlines 22 major tasks across five key areas: green development, collaborative governance, ecological protection, reform and innovation, and distinctive model initiatives.
Among these efforts, the Yangtze River Delta Initiative proposes, in building a collaborative and win-win green industrial system, to develop strategic emerging industry clusters with international influence in areas such as integrated circuits, biopharmaceuticals, and low-altitude equipment. It also calls for proactively planning for future industries like brain-computer interfaces, quantum technologies, and aerospace, deep-sea, and other cutting-edge fields. Furthermore, it aims to strengthen and expand green, low-carbon, and environmentally friendly industries—including energy conservation and environmental protection, new energy, and new materials—and foster environment-friendly and health-conscious industries. The initiative firmly opposes the reckless launch of “high-energy consumption and high-emission” projects and promotes the deep integration of digitalization, intelligentization, and green transformation across traditional sectors such as petrochemicals, steel, and textiles. Moreover, it systematically advances pilot programs for synergistic innovation aimed at reducing pollution and carbon emissions.
In terms of building a regional carbon footprint management system, the Yangtze River Delta Initiative proposes to promote the harmonization of carbon footprint management rules across industrial chains—including new-energy vehicles, batteries, and textiles—and to take the lead in launching carbon labeling certification in key sectors such as photovoltaics and steel. It also calls for fully leveraging the exemplary and driving roles of leading enterprises in sectors like steel, electronics, and fast-moving consumer goods to develop a number of green and low-carbon supply chains.
