Lishui in East China's Zhejiang province started promoting the strategy of ecological, industrial and green development in 2003.

Although for Lishui, when an "ecological industry" was first proposed, the connotation of this new term was not so clear and specific in the first few years. But with more than 10 years of effort, the city has achieved remarkable results in ecological industry development.

Lishui's synthetic leather industry, which made great contributions to the city's economic development, was once its most representative industry.

In 2003, Lishui Economic and Technological Development Zone, which was in the early stages of construction, was already actively attracting investment. Due to the advantage of being close to Wenzhou, many Wenzhou synthetic leather enterprises chose to settle in the development zone.

Along with the industry's rapid growth, however, came a growing number of chimneys and other environmental concerns. As a result, since 2007, Lishui began to focus on industrial transformation and upgrading.

In 2010, Bayer Material Science (China) Co Ltd began to provide high-quality waterborne polyurethane resin for Lishui synthetic leather enterprises, and to offer technical support and personnel training, which promoted the overall transformation and upgrading of the synthetic leather industry.

Early in 2020, Lishui put forward a three-year action plan for high-quality green development (2020-2022). The plan focuses on "ecology economization, and economy ecologicalization", and shutting down enterprises that have no license, no environmental protection facilities, no legal production sites and no security guarantees.

Since 2014, Lishui's Jinyun county has carried out special rectification actions for electroplating, anti-theft doors, bamboo products, stone processing, steel and other industries, and shut down more than 200 enterprises.

Recently, the research institute established by Zhejiang Qingtian Chaoda Foundry Co Ltd was officially approved to be included in the construction plan of a provincial enterprise research institute. This is inseparable from Qingtian's efforts to centralize pollution control in the county's valve industry.

In the next step, based on actual situations, Lishui will focus on cultivating five leading industries – high-end manufacturing, new materials, biological medicine, digital industry, and fashion – to create modern industrial clusters.