"A long and rocky road to ESG for Chinese overseas mining", Dialogue Earth, 5 Oct 2026

In 2022, a Chinese industry group called CCCMC updated its guidelines for how companies should responsibly source minerals – checking their supply chains for conflict, human rights abuses, corruption. These points were modelled on similar rules from the OECD, a group of developed countries that sets many global standards.

That July, the London Metal Exchange conditionally approved the CCCMC guidelines – the first time it had approved a standard from a non-OECD country.

In 2022, the Chinese government published the Guidelines for Environmental Protection during Foreign Investment and Construction Projects, requiring both information disclosure and substantive community participation.

Then, last year, the China Mining Association published two industry standards, for ESG disclosures and assessment, intended to promote regular standardised ESG reporting.

This May, the Zhongguancun Green Mine Industry Alliance published another industry standard, Guidelines on Green Minerals, regarding supply chain traceability and due diligence. It plans to issue an international standard this year for companies operating outside of China.

Despite steady progress, China’s voluntary sustainability standards still differ from those in the European Union. They align quite well with international norms on the environment but, as mentioned, are behind on social issues.

[...] for example, that Chinese standards lack a specific way of identifying Indigenous peoples. Plus there are no specific rules on economic displacement, resettlement and livelihood restoration.

They have no requirements on compensation for work-related injuries and illnesses, or clear requirements on accommodation for workers and contractors, or on allowing them to stop working if they deem a situation dangerous.

[...] For Chinese mining companies, the biggest problem implementing ESG principles is a lack of mutual recognition leading to repeated work and inadequate disclosures.