Hubei Unveils Provincial First Zero-Carbon Factory Evaluation Standard to Boost Industrial Green Transition

According to local official releases, Hubei Carbon Emission Exchange Centre, under Hubei Hongtai Group, has officially launched the province’s first dedicated guideline for industrial green upgrading, the Zero-Carbon Factory Evaluation Specification. Formulated in line with national guidance issued by five central government authorities, the new framework establishes systematic evaluation criteria for zero-carbon factory development across Hubei’s industrial sectors.

The specification introduces a two-tier evaluation system comprising standard and advanced zero-carbon factory categories, adopting a combined qualitative and quantitative assessment methodology. It sets out clear development pathways for corporate low-carbon transformation through seven core evaluation dimensions, covering carbon emission accounting and management capability, low-carbon energy structure optimisation, energy and resource utilisation efficiency, supply chain carbon reduction coordination, digital and intelligent carbon control capacity, carbon offset disclosure and continuous improvement, as well as additional zero-carbon contribution indicators. The structured framework enables local manufacturing enterprises to carry out standardised, targeted green and low-carbon upgrading.

Hubei has built a solid foundation for green manufacturing development. The province now hosts 361 state-level green factories, covering key industrial sectors including optoelectronics, automotive manufacturing, high-end equipment and new materials. Wuhan alone is home to 108 national-level green factories and three provincial green industrial parks, ranking among the leading sub-provincial cities across China in green industrial development scale.

The newly released specification fills the institutional gap in systematic zero-carbon factory assessment within Hubei province. It delivers scientific, standardised and operable evaluation benchmarks for local manufacturers seeking to achieve net-zero production operations, supporting the steady upgrading and innovative development of the regional manufacturing industry.

Hubei Carbon Emission Exchange Centre will launch the first batch of zero-carbon factory application and evaluation procedures in accordance with the new specification. The institution will nurture benchmark zero-carbon factory projects to drive industrial demonstration effects across the region.

Parallel industrial linkage mechanisms will be explored to connect the new evaluation system with the Yangtze River ecological rights and interests trading platform. Integrated service chains covering green industrial services, green finance support and carbon trading mechanisms will be established to form a replicable and scalable Hubei model for zero-carbon factory construction. The improved institutional system will further underpin high-quality green and low-carbon development within the regional industrial sector.