The Zhitong Finance App learned that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the “Implementation Plan for Accelerating the Establishment of a Dual Carbon Emissions Control Working System in the Industrial and Information Technology Sectors (2026-2030)”. During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, China's carbon emission control capabilities in key industries continued to increase, the carbon emission management level of industrial enterprises and parks improved markedly, the carbon footprint management system for industrial products was gradually improved, and carbon emission accounting, evaluation, and assessment systems in the industrial and information technology fields were basically established. The “Implementation Plan” requires that by 2030, establish and implement about 400 carbon footprint accounting rules for key industrial products, build about 500 national zero-carbon factories and zero-carbon computing power facilities, reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of industrial units above scale by more than 17% compared to 2025, and the value-added energy consumption of industrial units above scale will drop by more than 10% compared to 2025.
The original text is as follows:
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the “Implementation Plan for Accelerating the Construction of a Dual Carbon Emission Control Working System in the Industrial and Information Technology Sector (2026-2030)”
In order to implement the work requirements of the General Office of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council, such as “Opinions on Achieving Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction at a Higher Level and Higher Quality” and “Comprehensive Carbon Neutrality Assessment Measures”, establish a working system with double control of total carbon emissions and intensity (hereinafter referred to as “carbon emission double control”) in the industrial and information technology fields, step up the implementation of industrial energy saving and carbon reduction projects, and accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation of development methods, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently issued the “Implementation Plan for Accelerating the Construction of a Dual Carbon Emissions Control Working System in the Industrial and Information Technology Sector (2026-2030)” (hereinafter referred to as “2030)” (hereinafter referred to as “” Implementation Plan”) .
The “Outline” of the “15th Five-Year Plan” proposes to fully implement the dual control system for total carbon emissions and intensity, and steadily implement policies and systems such as local carbon assessment, industry carbon control, corporate carbon management, project carbon evaluation, and product carbon footprint. The “Work Plan on Accelerating the Establishment of a Dual Carbon Emissions Control System” of the General Office of the State Council states that all relevant departments should speed up the establishment of a dual control system for carbon emissions and refine the implementation plan in line with actual practice. Accelerating the establishment of a scientific and complete carbon emission control system and guiding industrial and information technology authorities at all levels to implement key tasks of dual control of fine carbon emissions is an important measure to promote the promotion and application of energy saving and carbon reduction technology and equipment and cultivate new momentum for green development. It is an important foundation for strengthening the green undertone of new industrialization, actively and steadily promoting, and achieving carbon neutrality at peak carbon emissions.
The “Implementation Plan” proposes general requirements for gradually establishing and improving local carbon assessments, industry carbon control, corporate carbon management, project carbon evaluation, and product carbon footprint in the fields of industry and information technology, and makes specific work arrangements in four areas. The first is to target key industries, with monitoring and enforcement, diagnostic services, technology promotion, and standards leadership as key measures to improve the level of carbon emission management services in key industries. The second is to target industrial enterprises and parks, accelerate the construction of zero-carbon benchmarks such as zero-carbon factories, zero-carbon computing facilities, zero-carbon parks, and low-carbon zero-carbon supply chains, clarify transformation paths such as green energy applications and digital energy carbon management, and strengthen carbon emission management for industrial enterprises and parks. The third is to establish and improve the carbon footprint management system for industrial products, guided by standards, supported by databases, and guided by application scenarios. Fourth, for localities and projects, it focuses on management requirements such as ascertaining base numbers, strict control of increments, and compacting responsibilities, and emphasizes establishing carbon emission accounting mechanisms, carrying out carbon emission exchange and evaluation of “two high” industrial projects, and comprehensive carbon neutrality assessment assessments, etc., to improve comprehensive capacity building for carbon neutrality at peak carbon. The “Implementation Plan” requires that by 2030, establish and implement about 400 carbon footprint accounting rules for key industrial products, build about 500 national zero-carbon factories and zero-carbon computing power facilities, reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of industrial units above scale by more than 17% compared to 2025, and the value-added energy consumption of industrial units above scale will drop by more than 10% compared to 2025.
In the next step, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will implement the tasks of the detailed “Implementation Plan”, continue to enhance carbon emission control capabilities in key industries, focus on improving the carbon emission management level of industrial enterprises and parks, gradually improve the carbon footprint management system for products, accelerate the establishment of carbon emission accounting, evaluation, and assessment systems in the industrial and information technology fields, and provide strong support for carbon peaks in the industrial sector.
Interpretation of the “Implementation Plan to Accelerate the Construction of a Dual Carbon Emission Control Working System in the Field of Industry and Information Technology (2026-2030)”
Q: Please tell me the background and significance of the introduction of the “Implementation Plan”?
A: The Party Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to establishing a dual control system for carbon emissions. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly issued important instructions to promote the shift from dual control of energy consumption to dual control of carbon emissions, calling for the creation of conditions to shift from dual control of energy consumption to double control of total carbon emissions and intensity as soon as possible, and to speed up the formation of an incentive and restraint mechanism for reducing pollution and carbon emissions. The “Outline” of the “15th Five-Year Plan” proposes to fully implement the dual control system for total carbon emissions and intensity, and steadily implement policies and systems such as local carbon assessment, industry carbon control, corporate carbon management, project carbon evaluation, and product carbon footprint. The “Work Plan on Accelerating the Establishment of a Dual Carbon Emissions Control System” of the General Office of the State Council states that all relevant departments should speed up the establishment of a dual control system for carbon emissions and refine the implementation plan in line with actual practice.
The dual control system for carbon emissions is an important foundation for promoting a comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, actively and steadily promoting and achieving carbon neutrality at carbon peaks. Establishing a working system for dual carbon emissions control is a systematic engineering and long-term task. There is an urgent need to introduce an “implementation plan” to guide all regions to coordinate existing energy saving and carbon reduction efforts and dual carbon emission control policy requirements, unify ideas, clarify requirements, and consolidate responsibilities, speed up the establishment of a scientific and complete work system, and actively and steadily promote and achieve carbon peaks.
Q: What is the preparation process for the “Implementation Plan”?
A: Since June 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has organized numerous research trips to Guangdong, Hubei, Shanghai, Tianjin, Fujian, Xinjiang, Ningxia, Chongqing, Shaanxi and other places, and organized symposiums for government departments, industry associations, research institutes, key enterprises, etc. to learn about the work situation, outstanding issues and major policy demands of all parties involved in promoting carbon neutrality, and listen to opinions and suggestions on the next key tasks and measures. In September 2025, organizations such as CCID Research Institute and Beijing Institute of Technology were organized to set up a preparation team to study and draft the first draft of the “Implementation Plan”. Since December 2025, a number of expert seminars have been organized to listen to expert opinions from various parties, and revise and improve the “Implementation Plan”. Considering that the dual carbon emission control system involves multiple fields and aspects, the “Implementation Plan” solicited opinions from relevant ministries, departments in charge of industry and information technology, as well as relevant industry associations, scientific research institutes, and key enterprises, and completed the review and evaluation of policy documents in accordance with the requirements. The final “Implementation Plan” was the result of fully gathering opinions from all parties and reaching consensus.
Q: What are the main contents of the “Implementation Plan”?
Answer: The “Implementation Plan” focuses on establishing a working system for dual carbon emission control in the industrial and information technology fields, and proposes five aspects.
The first is the general requirement. During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, carbon emission control capabilities in key industries continued to increase, the carbon emission management level of industrial enterprises and parks improved markedly, the carbon footprint management system for industrial products was gradually improved, and carbon emission accounting, evaluation, and assessment systems in the industrial and information technology fields were basically established.
The second is to improve the level of carbon emission management services in key industries. It focuses on improving quality, cost reduction, and carbon reduction in key industries, and proposes key tasks such as strengthening industrial energy saving monitoring and enforcement, promoting industrial energy saving and carbon reduction diagnosis services, speeding up research and development and promotion of advanced energy saving and carbon reduction technologies, and strengthening support for energy saving and carbon reduction standards.
The third is to strengthen carbon emission management for industrial enterprises and parks. For various green and low-carbon transformation entities, it is proposed to accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation of industrial parks and national high-tech zones, cultivate and build zero-carbon factories, zero-carbon computing power facilities, and low-carbon zero-carbon supply chains, clearly accelerate electricity substitution and green energy applications, and promote digital energy carbon management.
Fourth, establish and improve the carbon footprint management system for industrial products. It focuses on leveraging the carbon footprint of products to promote the green and low-carbon transformation of production lifestyles, and proposes tasks such as strengthening the standard supply of carbon footprint accounting rules, establishing a carbon footprint database for industrial products, and enriching application scenarios for the carbon footprint of industrial products.
The fifth is to improve comprehensive capacity building for carbon neutrality when carbon peaks reach peak levels. In response to carbon emission management needs such as ascertaining data, strictly controlling increments, and compacting responsibilities, tasks such as studying and establishing carbon emission accounting mechanisms in the industrial sector, carrying out carbon emission exchange and evaluation of “two high” industrial projects, and carrying out comprehensive assessments of carbon neutrality when carbon peaks reach peak levels are proposed.
Q: What does the dual control system for carbon emissions have to do with existing energy saving efforts?
Answer: The “Implementation Plan” earnestly implements the Party Central Committee and the State Council's arrangements for dual carbon emission control and energy saving and carbon reduction work in the industrial and information technology fields, compare and implement them item by item in terms of index systems, institutional frameworks, management tools, assessment mechanisms, etc., and makes overall links with existing energy saving work. On the one hand, shifting from dual control of energy consumption to dual control of carbon emissions requires energy saving to energy saving and carbon reduction, and shifting from focusing on energy saving and efficiency improvement to system planning to improve efficiency, adjust structures, optimize methods, and change forms, which strongly supports high-quality economic and social development. On the other hand, energy saving is the most direct, effective, and economical carbon reduction measure, and is a key gripper for dual control of carbon emissions. Energy saving work has a solid foundation. A relatively complete energy measurement statistics, energy efficiency standards and energy saving monitoring and enforcement system have been established, which will provide strong technical support and organizational guarantees for the full implementation of the dual control system for carbon emissions.
This article was edited by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Zhitong Finance Editor: Chen Wenfang.