Get ready for China's ESG revolution – lead today, not tomorrow
China is transforming its sustainability landscape through robust ESG reporting regulations. In December 2024, China's Ministry of Finance (MOF), in collaboration with nine other departments, unveiled the Basic Standards for corporate sustainability disclosures. These standards aim to standardize ESG reporting across the nation, aligning with global frameworks like the ISSB's IFRS S1 and S2, while addressing local priorities such as climate change and rural development.
Speeki helps Mainland Chinese companies proactively navigate these changes, ensuring they stay ahead, compliant, and competitive in a rapidly evolving market.
Phased implementation timeline in China
China’s recent introduction of the Corporate Sustainability Disclosure Standards (CSDS) marks a critical step towards transparency and accountability. Influenced by both international frameworks (IFRS S1/S2 and Europe's ESRS), the CSDS emphasises double materiality—highlighting financial impacts and broader societal and environmental responsibilities.
The CSDS is also designed to be compatible with international standards, particularly the ISSB's frameworks. This alignment facilitates cross-border comparability and supports Chinese companies in attracting global investment by demonstrating commitment to internationally recognized ESG practices.
China has outlined a clear roadmap for the adoption of these standards:
2024–2026: Large, publicly listed companies are encouraged to voluntarily adopt sustainability disclosures.
2027–2029: Mandatory disclosures begin for key sectors, starting with climate-related reporting by 2027.
2030: Full compliance expected, expanding to a broader range of industries and smaller enterprises.
Don't wait for mandatory deadlines to start your sustainability journey. Companies that proactively adapt to ESG reporting requirements gain competitive advantages, secure investor confidence, and enhance brand reputation.
Emphasis on 'Double Materiality'
The CSDS adopts the principle of double materiality, requiring companies to disclose:
- Financial Materiality: How sustainability risks impact corporate financial performance.
- Impact Materiality: How a company’s operations affect society and the environment
What this means to you: You will need detailed analyses and clearly documented assessments of how your sustainability issues impact your financial position and external environment. Immediate action is essential to establish robust assessment methodologies and reporting frameworks.
Sector-Specific Guidelines
Recognizing the diverse challenges across industries, the CSDS includes thematic standards tailored for sectors such as energy, manufacturing, and technology. These guidelines address specific ESG issues pertinent to each sector, ensuring relevant and actionable reporting.
What this means to you: You must ensure your ESG strategies are precisely aligned with your industry's specific guidelines. This will require deep sector-specific insights and ongoing monitoring to remain compliant and responsive.
Empowering Chinese enterprises to lead in sustainable business through strategy, technology, and education.
Speeki offers an integrated ESG solution tailored for China’s evolving regulatory landscape and global sustainability expectations. From local compliance to international best practices, we help companies embed ESG into operations, supply chains, and governance systems—delivering results that go beyond reporting.
Strategic ESG Advisory & Compliance Alignment
Our expert consulting team helps you navigate China’s ESG regulatory landscape with confidence. We provide double materiality assessments that reflect your industry’s unique dynamics and pinpoint the ESG factors most critical to your financial and operational performance. Our advisors work closely with your leadership to develop practical, future-ready ESG strategies aligned with China’s Corporate Sustainability Disclosure Standards (CSDS) as well as international frameworks. Through detailed gap analyses, we identify where improvements are needed and help you build a strong, compliant ESG foundation.
Integrated ESG Programme & Reporting Platform
With Speeki’s platform, ESG management becomes seamless and strategic. Our solution brings together planning, execution, and reporting into one unified system. You can manage programme activities, track progress across teams, and stay audit-ready at all times. The platform enables you to generate comprehensive ESG reports that meet CSDS requirements while also aligning with global standards such as GRI, IFRS, TCFD, and ESRS. Whether you’re addressing climate risk, human rights, or ethical governance, our software gives you full visibility and control from start to finish.
Speeki Academy: ESG Training for Your Teams & Partners
Building internal knowledge is critical to long-term ESG success. Through Speeki Academy, we offer tailored, practical training to equip your key personnel with the skills to implement and manage ESG programmes effectively. Our courses are designed for real-world application and adapted to China’s regulatory environment. We also support supplier and partner education, helping you extend sustainability practices across your value chain and foster a culture of shared responsibility.
Carbon Footprint Measurement & Management
As climate disclosure becomes a central focus in China, understanding and managing your carbon footprint is essential. Speeki’s carbon accounting solution enables you to measure emissions accurately across Scope 1, 2, and 3. Our tools help you monitor carbon performance over time, report in alignment with China’s climate regulations, and position your company to meet both domestic and global emissions reduction goals.
ESG insights
Explore our expert articles on implementing ESG and Sustainability programmes
What companies in China should do now
Define Materiality to Shape Strategy and Roadmap
Start by conducting a clear and data-driven materiality assessment to identify the ESG issues most relevant to your business and stakeholders. Use this to develop your short-, mid-, and long-term strategy, set achievable targets, and align with both regulatory and strategic business goals.
Establish ESG Ownership and Functional Roles
Set up your sustainability team and structure, clearly defining responsibilities, scopes of work, and decision-making processes. Align internal functions such as compliance, legal, operations, HR, and procurement to ensure an integrated and accountable approach to ESG management.
Identify Stakeholders and Plan for Engagement
Understand who your stakeholders are—from investors and regulators to customers, suppliers, and local communities. Define the social and environmental impact of your operations, and create mechanisms to engage, gather feedback, and collaborate with these groups for long-term value creation.
Scott Lane
Scott Lane has worked as a leader in global companies across legal, compliance and governance for most of his career. He has helped over 500 global companies develop parts of their ESG programmes, including governance, board, risk, supply chain, sales channels, anti-corruption, workplace issues and overall ESG. Scott is a strong strategic thinker and communicator who helps to align large companies on a common goal. Scott is based in Singapore.
Why Speeki is the Right ESG Partner for China
Speeki bridges international best practices with deep understanding of China’s ESG landscape. Our solutions are designed to meet global standards while aligning seamlessly with local policies, including China’s CSDS and climate-related frameworks. You get the confidence of a global methodology—delivered with local relevance.
Built by compliance, legal, and ESG professionals, Speeki’s platform is both cutting-edge and credible. Our tools are designed with enterprise-level security, usability, and intelligence at their core—trusted by multinational corporations for managing sensitive ESG data and programmes with confidence.
Speeki has been helping companies navigate ESG long before it became a regulatory requirement. With decades of experience in sustainability, anti-bribery, and governance, we’ve supported leading organisations around the world in building robust ESG systems—from carbon accounting to whistleblowing frameworks to global disclosures.
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