The conference was jointly organized by the China Iron and Steel Industry Association, the Metallurgical Industry Branch of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and the National Carbon Measurement Center (Fujian), with support from the Fujian “Dual Carbon” Capacity Building Center and Fujian Aerospace Carbon Technology Group Co., Ltd. International mining giants such as Vale and Rio Tinto also provided support. With its high-level organization and broad industry coverage, the conference reflected the strong consensus across the entire industry on green and low-carbon transformation.
Li Yiren, Vice President of the China Iron and Steel Industry Association and Chairman of the Metallurgical Industry Branch of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, first clarified the new development direction of the industry in his opening speech. He pointed out that policy focus has shifted from restraining disorderly capacity expansion to a new stage featuring total capacity control, capacity reduction and replacement, encouraging mergers and restructuring, and promoting low-carbon transformation.
“Carbon measurement and carbon data are the benchmarks and eyes of green and low-carbon development in the steel industry.” Li Yiren emphasized that without a reliable carbon measurement system, enterprises cannot accurately understand their own carbon emissions profile; without credible carbon emission data, it is difficult to make optimal decisions in carbon market transactions. From extensive energy consumption management to refined carbon management, carbon measurement serves as the foundation, while carbon data serves as the core. Currently, the industry is facing three major challenges: increasing carbon cost pressures, intensified international green trade barriers, and increasingly differentiated enterprise development. Leading companies with advantages in low-carbon development will receive greater policy support.
In response, Li Yiren proposed three approaches:First, make full use of the industry carbon portal and the EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) platform established by the association, promote the transformation of carbon data from a resource into an asset, and expand its applications in carbon trading, green finance, and other scenarios;Second, break down barriers between equipment energy consumption data and low-carbon data, achieving a fundamental transformation from extensive management to refined low-carbon management;Third, leverage benchmark enterprises as industry leaders, select low-carbon benchmark companies and outstanding process cases, and drive the entire industry to address weaknesses, reduce costs, and improve efficiency.
Yang Xinqiang, Deputy Mayor of Nanping Municipal People’s Government, added from the perspective of local practice that relying on the National Carbon Measurement Center (Fujian), Nanping has gathered more than 100 professionals specializing in “dual carbon” initiatives, implemented a number of low-carbon industrial projects, and is accelerating the cultivation of characteristic industrial clusters in carbon monitoring and carbon measurement. This conference will become an important opportunity for Nanping to improve its carbon emission dual-control system and support the national “dual carbon” strategy.
The most anticipated part of the conference was the concentrated release of a series of industry-leading standards and achievements, providing a solid institutional foundation for the industry’s low-carbon transformation.
As China’s first industrial full life-cycle Environmental Product Declaration platform, the steel industry full-chain EPD platform has undergone four years of development. The EPD reports issued by the platform have become key credentials for steel enterprises to address green trade barriers such as the EU CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) and expand into global markets. The newly released “2026 Development Report” systematically summarizes four years of platform operation experience and will provide authoritative guidance for digitalization and full life-cycle low-carbon management in the industry, helping enterprises gain greater initiative in international green trade competition.
At the conference, the group standard “Guidelines for the Construction of Carbon Emission Factor Database for the Steel Industry” was officially released, while the development of the group standard “Guidelines for the Construction of Carbon Emission Factor Database for Iron Ore and Metallurgical Flux Minerals” was simultaneously launched. Covering the entire chain from “upstream raw materials — production processes — terminal products,” this accounting standard system was regarded by experts as the “stabilizing anchor” for improving the authenticity, accuracy, and consistency of carbon data in the industry. Enterprises such as Baogang, Shougang, and Nanjing Iron & Steel have taken the lead in conducting carbon factor calculations and verification based on the standards, accumulating valuable experience for nationwide promotion. As Zhang Xi, Director of the Non-CO₂ Research Office of the Statistics and Accounting Department of the National Center for Climate Strategy and International Cooperation, stated: “A unified factor database is the ‘common language’ of carbon accounting. It can not only support product life-cycle carbon footprint calculations but also provide China with data confidence in participating in the formulation of international rules.”
During the keynote sessions, several academicians, experts, and enterprise representatives provided a clear roadmap for the low-carbon transformation of the steel industry from both technological frontiers and practical applications.
Zhu Rong, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of the National Key Laboratory of Green and Low-Carbon Iron and Steel Metallurgy, delivered a keynote report titled “The Future of Green and Low-Carbon Steel” via video. He systematically reviewed the global background of low-carbon transformation in the steel industry, focusing on two key technological directions: negative-carbon technologies in converter steelmaking and near-zero-carbon high-quality smelting through electric furnace short-process production. He also presented breakthroughs achieved by the laboratory in cutting-edge technology research, providing scientific guidance for enterprises in implementing low-carbon technology upgrades and producing high-quality green steel products.
Xu Xiaohong, Chief Scientist of CITIC Group and Assistant President of CITIC Pacific Special Steel Group, shared practical experiences from the special steel sector. He noted that building and implementing an internationally aligned carbon measurement system has become a “mandatory requirement” for enterprises to meet downstream customers’ low-carbon demands, adapt to international trade rules, and fulfill policy compliance requirements. Taking CITIC Pacific Special Steel as an example, he introduced how refined carbon data management can transform carbon costs into product competitiveness, providing a replicable model for other companies.
During the thematic report session on the afternoon of July 9, experts from institutions including the Environmental Development Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Vale–Central South University Joint Laboratory for Low-Carbon and Hydrogen Metallurgy, Rio Tinto Group, and the China Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute conducted in-depth discussions on topics such as product carbon footprint management systems, low-carbon solutions for high-quality iron ore, carbon market policy responses, and intelligent carbon reduction technologies. Gu Yongxing, Chief Representative of Carbon Neutrality at Ouyeel Cloud Commerce, emphasized the key role of the CISA-EPD platform in connecting upstream and downstream industries and promoting data sharing. Meng Jiajia, Technical Manager of TÜV Rheinland Certification and Testing (China) Co., Ltd., analyzed the key elements of carbon accounting compliance system construction from a third-party perspective.
The conference was not only a platform for exchanging ideas but also a starting point for practical action. Multiple cooperation agreements and new book launches marked the transition of collaborative carbon reduction efforts in the industry into an implementation stage. During the signing ceremony, organizations including the National Carbon Measurement Center (Fujian) and Nanping Carbon Measurement Center signed strategic cooperation framework agreements with local governments and industrial enterprises. In the future, they will carry out deep cooperation in areas such as carbon measurement technology research, standard development, commercialization of achievements, and talent cultivation, building an industrial collaboration ecosystem featuring complementary advantages. The “Carbon Road Pioneer” steel enterprise carbon measurement diagnosis cooperation initiative was also launched, attracting participation from enterprises including CITIC Pacific Special Steel, Nanjing Iron & Steel, and Jinxi Steel. The participating parties will jointly conduct carbon measurement diagnosis, data governance, and corrective action management to create nationally representative carbon measurement demonstration enterprises.
The book Superconducting Coupling Technology and Its Applications in the Resource and Environmental Fields — Industrial Water Treatment and Reuse, edited by Professor Li Suqin of the University of Science and Technology Beijing, was officially launched at the conference. Focusing on the demand for low-carbon and resource-oriented industrial water treatment in energy-intensive industries such as steel, the book provides a new technological pathway for near-zero wastewater discharge and resource recycling, representing another important achievement of industry-academia-research collaborative innovation.
The convening of the 4th Green and Low-Carbon Development Conference of the Iron and Steel Industry coincides with a critical period in which China’s steel industry is transitioning from “dual control of energy consumption” to “dual control of carbon emissions.” The consensus reached at the conference is clear and firm: green and low-carbon development is not an option, but a necessary path for survival. With the continuous improvement of the EPD platform, the gradual implementation of the carbon emission factor database, and the comprehensive coverage of carbon measurement systems, China’s steel industry is accelerating the transformation of “carbon costs” into “carbon assets.” On the new track of green trade, the industry is redefining the weight and quality of the “cornerstone of a major industrial nation.” Amid Nanping’s green mountains and clear waters, a “green transformation” of the steel industry is rapidly unfolding.
