From 2016 to 2020, China issued 16 mandatory energy consumption quota standards, achieving an annual energy saving of 77 million tonnes of standard coal, equivalent to 148 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions; it issued 26 mandatory product and equipment energy efficiency standards, realizing an annual power saving of 49 billion kWh.

In Yulin, a coal-rich city in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, a chemical plant has been exploring its own form of green transition.

"The coal chemical industry should boost its green transition and seek the high-end and differentiated development of its industrial chains to make eco-friendly products in line with the market demand," said Zhang Xiansong, chairman of CNH Energy Yulin Chemical Co, Ltd.

Through the efficient use of coal, the company managed to produce green end-products including daily necessities, absorbable medical sutures and bone stents, as well as degradable materials.

The local chemical company mirrors the wider efforts made by the country to encourage local governments, industries and enterprises to explore low-carbon paths to development based on their individual conditions.