Greening China’s Competitiveness: Advancing Low-Carbon Competitiveness in Economic and Technological Zones Phase II

This briefing describes a workshop and project phase conducted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Low Carbon Promotion Center of the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) in August 2013. The initiative focuses on using low-carbon standards to develop competitive green enterprises within economic and technological development zones in China.

• Phase I of the project revealed that Chinese businesses encounter conflicting standards and are uncertain about which methods to employ for measuring and managing carbon. Consequently, zone managers require a deeper understanding of available management standards to determine their application.
• Initial analysis in Phase II indicates that the adoption of carbon management standards in China is extremely low. Usage is primarily limited to measurement and reporting, and is typically driven by global corporate headquarters or clients within global supply chains rather than domestic Chinese drivers.
• The primary obstacle to the increased adoption of carbon management standards in China is a lack of adequate incentives rather than technical specifications. Key drivers of company practice include global headquarter initiatives, domestic regulatory measures, and demands from downstream clients.
• Proposed next steps to enhance incentives include exploring public procurement, building the capacity of development zones to increase awareness and execute incentives, and measuring zone performance in encouraging low-carbon enterprises.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2013). Greening China’s Competitiveness: Advancing Low-Carbon Competitiveness in Economic and Technological Zones Phase II. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_greening_china_competiveness_en.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Greening China’s Competitiveness: Advancing Low-Carbon Competitiveness in Economic and Technological Zones Phase II. 2013. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_greening_china_competiveness_en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Greening China’s Competitiveness: Advancing Low-Carbon Competitiveness in Economic and Technological Zones Phase II |date=1 August 2013 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_greening_china_competiveness_en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2013greening, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Greening China’s Competitiveness: Advancing Low-Carbon Competitiveness in Economic and Technological Zones Phase II}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2013}, month = aug, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_greening_china_competiveness_en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }