In China, the industrial sector is responsible for approximately 70 per cent of the country’s energy consumption and 72 per cent of its carbon emissions.

Accordingly, many policies and measures have been initiated in order to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions. This paper sheds light on the concerted Chinese effort to promote eco-efficient and low-carbon industrial parks. It includes a description and analysis of the three leading Chinese certification programs, their respective governance structures, and their associated procedures and indicator systems. This work concludes with a discussion of the commonalities among these schemes, their potential impacts for low-carbon transition, and the industrial zones’ motivations for and impediments to participating in these initiatives.