Cement product carbon footprint accounting standards will be released soon and a carbon emission factor database is being built| Carbon Footprint Series Interpretation ④

"Cement is the main source of carbon footprint for downstream industries including concrete and construction. First, establishing carbon footprint accounting standards and databases in the cement industry not only grasps the main areas of carbon reduction in the building materials industry, but also lays the foundation for establishing a carbon footprint accounting system for downstream products and industries." According to the "Implementation Plan on Establishing a Carbon Footprint Management System"(hereinafter referred to as the "Plan") recently issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in conjunction with multiple departments, cement products should issue carbon footprint accounting rules and standards. Sun Xingshou, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and chief economist of the China Building Materials Federation, told this reporter that "the release and implementation of the" Plan "means that the implementation of carbon footprint accounting rules and standards for key products, including cement, will accelerate."

It is reported that the carbon emissions of the cement industry account for about 83% of the carbon emissions of the building materials industry and 10% of the country's total carbon emissions. Although the cement industry has reached a peak in carbon emissions, carbon emissions are still relatively large, and green and low-carbon transformation will remain an important task for the industry in the future.

According to the "Plan", what is the current construction status of the cement product carbon footprint management system? How should cement companies adapt to the requirements of establishing an industry carbon footprint management system? Sun Xingshou gave a detailed introduction when interviewed by our reporter.

The standard standards for carbon footprint accounting rules for cement products are expected to be released in the second half of the year

"The" Plan "requires the establishment of a carbon footprint management system. On the one hand, it can provide an effective tool for quantifying the company's own green development level and promote enterprises to accelerate carbon reduction; on the other hand, it can also help cement companies integrate into the green and low-carbon building construction system and help Build carbon emissions reduction in the construction sector." Sun Xingshou said that at present, the China Building Materials Federation (hereinafter referred to as the Federation) is organizing the development of the standard group standard for carbon footprint accounting rules of the "Product Carbon Footprint Rules, Product Category Rules, Cement". It has completed preliminary pre-research work and formed a standard consultation draft., will be publicly solicited from the public in the near future, and is expected to be completed and released in the second half of the year.

The "Plan" proposes to develop carbon footprint accounting rules and standards for key products in accordance with the principle of group standards being tested first and gradually transformed into industry standards or national standards. The industry competent department, together with relevant departments, will issue a recommended list of group standards. Group standards with a good implementation foundation are adopted as industry standards or national standards.

Sun Xingshou introduced: "In accordance with the national unified arrangement on carbon footprint accounting rules and standards, the standard name of" Product Carbon Footprint, Product Category Rules and Cement "will be adjusted to" Greenhouse Gas Products Carbon Footprint Quantification Methods and Requirements Cement ". According to the "Plan", the industry authorities, together with relevant departments, will issue a recommended list of group standards. In the next step, the Federation will give full play to the characteristics of group standards that are fast, new, dynamic and high, accelerate the development progress of group standards for the cement carbon footprint management system, and cooperate with government departments to publicize and implement standards, promote the implementation and application of standards, and meet the needs of the market. Urgent needs, and strive to be included in the recommended list of group standards issued by government departments. After the group standards are released and implemented and included in the recommendation list, they will be transformed into government standards in a timely manner in accordance with the requirements of relevant government departments and in accordance with the requirements of national standards or industry standard management measures."

According to reports, the "Carbon Footprint Quantification Methods and Requirements for Greenhouse Gas Products Cement" being developed is one of the urgently needed standards in the carbon footprint management system. In the next step, the Federation will give priority to supporting carbon emission measurement of cement products based on relevant policy documents. and monitoring equipment standards, carbon emission monitoring technical standards, carbon emission information disclosure standards, carbon labeling and labeling standards, etc., and continuously improve the cement carbon footprint accounting standard system.

"At present, the preparation of the industry standard" Technical Specifications for Low Carbon Product Evaluation General Portland Cement "(2021- 1794T-JC), which is being organized by the Federation, has formed a draft for review, which can be used as the technical basis for the evaluation of low carbon cement products." Sun Xingshou revealed.

The construction of a carbon emission factor database for cement products has made phased progress

To calculate the carbon footprint of cement products, it is necessary to ensure the data quality throughout the life cycle of cement products.

It is reported that as early as 2017, the Federation began to rely on the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" National Key Research and Development Plan of the Ministry of Science and Technology "Development and Pilot Application of Carbon Emission Limit Standards for Unit Products in the Building Materials Industry to Support Quota Allocation"(2016 YFF020440002 -04) to carry out the development of low-carbon group standards, and so far, nearly 20 low-carbon group standards have been released. Among them, the low-carbon group standards for the cement industry include "Technical Specifications for Product Life Cycle Assessment Cement"(T/CBMF 29-2018), Carbon Emission Limits per Unit Product of Portland Cement Clinker (T/CBMF41 -2018),"Guidelines for the Implementation of Carbon Emission Management System for Building Materials Industry Cement Enterprises"(T/CBMF54 -2019),"Technical Requirements for Evaluation of Low-Carbon Enterprises in the Building Materials Industry Cement Industry"(T/CBMF57 -2019), etc., laid a research foundation for the building materials industry to comprehensively promote low-carbon standardization work, and also provided preliminary research for the government's low-carbon standards.

"Based on the preliminary work, the Federation is currently building a carbon emission factor database for cement products. Progress has been made in stages and will soon be put into use in the building materials carbon labeling project to serve corporate carbon footprint accounting and carbon labeling applications." Sun Xingshou revealed.

According to reports, in order to ensure data quality, the cement product carbon footprint accounting rules and standards stipulate the system boundaries from "cradle to door", including stages such as raw material/energy acquisition and transportation, clinker/cement production, and product transportation. Collect on-site data.

At the same time, the carbon footprint accounting rules and standards for cement products also clarify the rules for the use of data in the design. For example, when collecting on-site data is not feasible, primary data from off-site data reviewed by a third party should be used; secondary data should be used for input and output only when collecting primary data is not feasible or for processes of low importance. At the same time, the standard puts forward specific requirements for data quality, and requires that the data acquisition method and data source should be explained.

In fact, the establishment of a carbon footprint management system will also have an impact on cement companies. Cement is among the first imported products covered by the EU Carbon Border Regulation Mechanism (CBAM), which will come into effect in 2026.

Sun Xingshou suggested: "In the face of the gradual approach of CBAM, cement companies should, on the one hand, accelerate the application of advanced energy-saving and carbon-reduction technologies to upgrade production lines in energy-saving and carbon-reduction, and strive to achieve full-process carbon reduction. In 2022, the Federation organized the compilation of the "Technical Guidelines for Carbon Emission Reduction in the Cement Industry", which relevant cement companies can learn from when carrying out energy-saving and carbon-reduction renovations. On the other hand, cement companies should adapt to the changes in establishing an industry carbon footprint management system, establish a measurement and monitoring system for carbon emission data in accordance with relevant requirements, and strengthen talent training. Key enterprises should actively participate in the construction of an industry carbon footprint database and coordinate the construction of a cement industry carbon footprint system."