China's heavily-polluting and energy-intensive companies will be forced to make full disclosures of their environmental impact, state media reported Tuesday.
All companies, not just those seeking to list on the stock market, will be required to make the disclosures, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a regulation released by the State Environmental Protection Administration.
The government will enforce the regulations and make sure that inspections are carried out before already-listed firms are allowed to refinance, the report said.
Most domestic-listed firms either do not report on their green performance or submit "only qualitative descriptions" and "scantily useful facts," Pan Yue, the administration's deputy director said, according to the daily.
The scheme covers companies operating in more than one province in 13 sectors listed by the administration, including thermal power generation, iron, steel and cement, the report added.
Last November, China said it was prepared to bar polluting companies from raising money on the stock market, as part of efforts to clean up its devastated environment.
Ten companies were forced to delay their initial public offerings after failing to meet the required environmental standards, the report said.
China's booming growth has ravaged the environment, with about 70 percent of its waterways polluted and urban air quality among the worst in the world.
The Asian giant is second only to the United States in greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change.
