The Xiamen National Accounting Institute holds a conference on ESG-driven urban development, where it releases the 2026 Xiamen ESG Development Index and Report. [Photo/Xiamen National Accounting Institute]
The Xiamen National Accounting Institute has held a conference on ESG-driven urban development, where it released the 2026 Xiamen ESG Development Index and Report. ESG — short for environmental, social and governance — is a widely used framework for measuring a city's sustainability performance.
The report aligns with major international and national standards as well as China's carbon peak and neutrality goals. It builds an ESG plus Green Development Vitality Index that tracks Xiamen's progress over the past four years.
The findings show steady, broad-based improvement across all dimensions, with the strongest growth in 2025. Compared with 2022, Xiamen's ESG development index rose 17.7 percent by 2025, while its green development vitality index jumped 48.7 percent.
The XMFTZ Global Innovation Center for Sustainable Development. [Photo provided to ftz.xm.gov.cn]
In March, the Administration of Xiamen Free Trade Zone established the XMFTZ Global Innovation Center for Sustainable Development, along with Sustainable Service Alliance and International ESG Service Hub.
With support from the UN Environment Programme, it also co-built the UN One Planet Networks Sustainable Business Innovation Lab.
The goal is to build a full-chain ESG innovation ecosystem that helps companies improve ESG performance and export competitiveness while advancing green trade and sustainable development.
The alliance now includes nearly 30 leading domestic and international institutions, such as SGS and BSI, covering areas from standards and certification to green finance and risk management.