Doubts over the calculation of 'green GDP' have cast a shadow over the new mainland index.
Beijing has announced plans to set up a new system that will adjust the traditional measurement of gross domestic product by deducting the cost of environmental damage and resource consumption.
It is hoped that the measure will lead to a better understanding of the environmental cost of economic development.
Ten provinces and municipalities - including Beijing, Tianjin and Guangdong - started to calculate their green GDP last year in the first batch of trials, with results expected to come out by July.
The Guangdong Environmental Protection Bureau yesterday said it had finished investigating 150 enterprises and more than 200,000 families, collecting environmental data such as spending on waste-water management and extra costs incurred from polluting accidents.
However, some officials involved in the project said flaws in calculation methods for the new index could affect its accuracy.