The China Business Council for Sustainable Development (CBCSD) hosted the seminar that focused on promoting sustainable development throughout the 12th Five-Year Plan (FYP).
Wang Zhongyu, chairman of the Chinese Enterprise Confederation, said the next five years are crucial to building an environmentally-friendly society.
But businesses aren't starting from scratch. Wang said that over the past five years China's business sector has played an active role in transitioning toward sustainable development.
In 2010, for example, the CBCSD developed a method to calculate CO2 emissions standards in the key industries of cement, petrochemical, petroleum & gas and chemical. It also provides technical support for companies to conserve energy and reduce emissions.
Wang Jiming, executive president of the CBCSD, said he expects continued progress in resource conservation, environmental protection, and developing the circular economy to meet the climate change challenge.
China unveiled its green goals for the 12th FYP this month, which cuts energy intensity by 16 percent and carbon intensity by 17 percent by the end of 2015. It also aims to boost the proportion of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to 11.4 percent.
Bjorn Stigson, president of World Business Council for Sustainable Development, called the plan ambitious but necessary in order to transition to a low-carbon economy.
He noted that the business sector would have to continue playing a key role in the transition, but added that it requires more cooperation with the government and other industries to meet the goal.
"The question will be how to build the right policy framework that will support the implementation of solutions," Stigson said.
Yang Chaofei, a chief engineer at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, said the government will help companies to take measures to be greener in the next five years.
