Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for key companies in the environmental sector, including Huicheng Environmental, Gaoneng Environment, and Hongcheng Environment [4]. Core Insights - The green low-carbon construction is accelerating, presenting new opportunities in carbon footprint management. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has deployed urgent actions for product carbon footprint accounting and resource utilization standards, focusing on three major actions: standard innovation in green low-carbon industries, digital-green synergy, and updates in energy-saving and water-saving standards [1][23]. - The Sichuan provincial government has issued a plan for establishing a carbon footprint management system, with clear targets for 2027 and 2030, encouraging investment institutions to incorporate product carbon footprints into ESG and sustainable development due diligence [1][24]. Summary by Sections Investment Views - The report highlights the importance of focusing on companies with strong technical capabilities and excellent cash flow, particularly in the context of low macroeconomic interest rates. It recommends companies benefiting from carbon neutrality, such as high-energy waste leader Gaoneng Environment and Huicheng Environmental, which is entering the waste plastic recycling market [2][37]. - The report emphasizes that the environmental sector's institutional holdings and valuations are at historical lows, suggesting a potential rebound in the sector [37]. Market Performance - The environmental sector performed moderately, slightly outperforming the Shanghai Composite Index but underperforming the ChiNext Index. The sector's index rose by 1.92%, while the Shanghai Composite Index increased by 1.91% and the ChiNext Index by 5.69% [3][41]. - Sub-sectors within the environmental industry showed varied performance, with monitoring up by 8.52% and water treatment by 2.75% [3][41]. Key Companies - Huicheng Environmental is noted for its strong growth potential, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.0% in revenue and 22.7% in net profit from 2016 to 2024. The company is expanding its projects in water supply and wastewater treatment [4][38]. - Gaoneng Environment aims to become a global leader in environmental system services, focusing on hazardous waste resource utilization and environmental operation services [4][39]. - Hongcheng Environment is recognized for its stable growth and high dividend yield, with a projected cash dividend of 600 million yuan in 2024, representing 50.1% of its net profit [4][40].