On 5 September, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangdong Province, together with 15 other government departments, issued a work plan for the establishment of a carbon footprint management system in the province.

The GBA Standardization Research Center announced on 13 October that 10 new items have been added to the list of standards to be adopted throughout the GBA, upon consultation and mutual confirmation by the parties concerned, in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.

The European Commission has announced the unveiling of targeted measures to ensure a more effective implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which, Hong Kong sellers will know, is one of the EU’s flagship environmental commitments. The Commission’s proposal, released on 22 October 2025, aims to strengthen the EU’s capacity to curb global deforestation by improving system readiness and simplifying compliance procedures for companies and small producers worldwide. The proposed text will have to be adopted by the European Parliament and Council, i.e., the EU’s co-legislators, before it can enter into force.

On 17 October 2025, Regulation (EU) 2025/2083 was published, simplifying the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM). With this Regulation, the CBAM has been simplified and refined ahead of its full entry into force on 1 January 2026. Drawing on data collected during the ongoing transitional period which began on 1 October 2023, the Commission has introduced a series of adjustments designed to make the mechanism more efficient, and reducing administrative burdens for small importers.

On 14 October 2025, the European Parliament announced that its Legal Affairs Committee has backed a significant overhaul of EU sustainability reporting and due diligence rules, aiming to reduce red tape for businesses while maintaining core environmental and social standards. The overfhaul marks a decisive shift towards simplifying compliance, cutting costs, and focusing obligations on the largest companies operating in the EU.

The European Commission has announced its intention to postpone the implementation of the EU deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by an additional year, drawing mixed reactions from EU institutions, industry, and civil society. The news came via a letter to the European Parliament’s Environment Committee Chair, Antonio Decaro, and the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Commission explained that the delay was necessary due to difficulties with the deployment of the EUDR Information System — the digital platform designed to manage due diligence data for forest-risk commodities.

The National Certification and Accreditation Administration released a first batch of trial implementation rules specifically for carbon footprint labelling certification on 9 September.

On 9 September, the National Certification and Accreditation Administration released nine new implementation rules for the certification of green products, including lighting products, logistics turnover boxes, dyes, pre-mixed mortars for decoration and renovation, stone materials, refractory materials, computers, printers and all-in-one multifunction machines, and wall materials.

President Xi Jinping announced China’s new Nationally Determined Contributions, relating to climate targets, in a video speech delivered at the United Nations Climate Summit on 24 September.

On 10 September 2025, the proposed simplifications to the EU’s Carbon Border Mechanism (CBAM) were adopted by the European Parliament, with a majority endorsing the amendment. The adopted legislative modifications include a 50-tonne de minimis threshold that would exempt about 90% of importers, mainly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and occasional traders, while maintaining coverage of an estimated 99% of emissions from targeted imports.