Key industries such as metallurgy, building materials, and petrochemicals are focal points for regional industrial pollution control. The "2+26" cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and surrounding areas host a concentration of high-energy-consuming and high-emission industries; specifically, the iron and steel, coking, cement, glass, and petrochemical sectors account for 50%, 63%, 80%, and 66% of total industrial emissions of primary PM2.5, SO2, NOx, and VOCs, respectively. The metallurgical industry faces challenges such as massive production capacity, irrational industrial structure and layout, and relatively low levels of clean production and comprehensive pollution control, leaving significant room for emission reductions. Taking the aluminum industry as an example-a sector characterized by high energy consumption-issues regarding resource use, energy consumption, and carbon emissions are prominent, making it a critical area for achieving circular, low-carbon, and sustainable development. Meanwhile, the industry is addressing these challenges by shifting production capacity to regions rich in clean energy and developing "green aluminum." In 2025, despite persistent supply-demand imbalances, the profitability of the iron and steel industry improved compared to 2024; key statistical steel enterprises recorded total profits of 115.1 billion yuan-a year-on-year increase of 140%-with profits from core steel operations reaching 44.5 billion yuan, marking a turnaround from loss to profit.
The comprehensive implementation of ultra-low emission retrofitting is a key measure for deepening pollution control. By 2025, the completion rate for ultra-low emission retrofitting in China's iron and steel industry exceeded 95%. Some key steel enterprises have pioneered the completion of full-process ultra-low emission retrofitting, achieving "Grade A" environmental performance standards and effectively reducing pollutant emissions through measures such as increased environmental investment, the promotion of clean transportation, and improved water recycling rates. The industry has achieved breakthroughs in cutting-edge green and low-carbon technologies; notably, hydrogen metallurgy-which uses hydrogen as a reducing agent to replace traditional carbon-based reduction-represents a key, groundbreaking technology for achieving zero-carbon emissions in the ironmaking process. Regarding policy guidance, local governments have issued action plans for peaking carbon emissions, driving industries such as non-ferrous metals to reach their carbon peaks before 2030. On December 30, 2025, the world's first project for capturing CO2 from converter gas and utilizing it as a resource in steelmaking-with an annual capacity of 30,000 tons-successfully commenced operations. Fully domestically developed pneumatic conveying technology and equipment for hot direct reduced iron (DRI) from hydrogen-based shaft furnaces have been successfully put into operation, achieving seamless integration across the entire process chain-from the hydrogen-based shaft furnace and hot transport/charging of DRI to the electric arc furnace for steelmaking.
