Gleaming new coils of steel are stored ready for shipment at a Baogang Group steel production warehouse. [Photo/Baotou Daily]

The giant industrial Baogang Group, based in Baotou city in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, achieved an operating income of 128 billion yuan ($20.13 billion) in 2021, a 48 percent year-on-year surge of 41.3 billion yuan, according to local media reports.

Last year, the group issued planning targets to reach peak carbon levels by 2023 and be carbon neutral by 2050, becoming the third steel manufacturer in China and the first in the region to issue such a plan.

The group plans to continue to develop a green, circular and low-carbon route and promote its energy transformation and industrial upgrading, in a program that aims at reducing carbon emissions and protecting the environment. It also plans to drive the regional economy forwards in a green way, by helping it develop eco-friendly products with high added value and transforming traditional enterprises.

The group set up a "zero-waste city" and "zero-waste zone" target in its annual plan as an important item for high-quality development. Specific goals and programs have been set out, to achieve the goal in terms of promoting project construction, improving smart management and strengthening waste sorting.