Carbon Emission Newsletter -June,2025
1
Three Authorities Issued 2025 Green Finance Catalogue to Harmonize Standards and Accelerate Low-Carbon Transition
On June 27, 2025, the People’s Bank of China, the National Financial Regulatory Administration and the China Securities Regulatory Commission jointly issued the Green Finance Supported Projects Catalogue (2025 Edition) to unify green-finance standards and strengthen financial support for the green and low-carbon transition. Effective 1 October 2025, the new catalogue applies to all green-finance instruments except IPOs on the Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing stock exchanges and NEEQ listings. Institutions must base supporting policies on the new catalogue, ensure a smooth transition from earlier standards, and allow some bond issuers to choose between old and new standards.
2
Launch of Evaluation for Green Data Center Standard
GB/T 44989-2024, “Evaluation for Green Data Center,” is China’s first recommended national standard for assessing the green performance of data centers, effective June 1, 2025. It establishes an indicator system covering energy efficiency, resource utilization, environmental impact and management level, defines assessment procedures and grading methods, and guides data centers to achieve energy savings, low-carbon operation and circular use of resources throughout their entire life cycle, fostering green and high-quality development of the industry.
3
Release of List of Sustainable Development Technologies for Belt and Road Countries
In July 2025, China’s Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Natural Science Foundation of China officially released the Technology Catalogue for Sustainable Development in Belt and Road Countries (2025) at the Second Belt and Road Science and Technology Exchange Conference. Compiled from nationwide submissions and expert review, the catalogue features over 400 technologies across eight domains: AI for sustainable development, ecological agriculture, renewable energy and storage, environmental protection and ecological restoration, sustainable water-resource technologies, green buildings and smart cities, smart healthcare, and low-carbon transport and intelligent mobility. The publication aims to accelerate the transfer and application of China’s advanced technologies to partner countries along the Belt and Road, underpinning regional cooperation for sustainable development.
4
UNEP Supports Release of New Ecolabel Standard to Drive Sustainability in China’s Textile Sector
On June 19, 2025, with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), China unveiled in Qingdao the world’s first full-lifecycle standard for textiles, the Technical Specification for Eco-product Certification – Textiles. Developed under the leadership of the China Environmental United Certification Center, the standard employs a life-cycle approach and sets high thresholds for raw-material traceability, low-carbon production, pollution control and social responsibility. Its goal is to drive a green transformation of China’s textile value chain through eco-labelling and sustainable public procurement. Multiple companies and institutions signed up for pilot implementation at the launch, and UNEP pledged to continue expanding the standard’s uptake by both private and public buyers at home and abroad, accelerating delivery of the Paris Agreement climate goals and global circular-economy ambitions.
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