Product carbon footprint management is critical to green transformation

As global climate change becomes increasingly severe, reducing greenhouse gas emissions has become a common responsibility of the international community. Recently, the "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Accelerating the Comprehensive Green Transformation of Economic and Social Development" once again put forward requirements for product carbon footprint management. At present, my country is accelerating the establishment of a carbon footprint management system and promoting green and low-carbon transformation to cope with climate change and achieve the "double carbon" goal. Focusing on this goal, my country has carried out a series of important measures in accordance with the relevant requirements of the "Implementation Plan on Establishing a Carbon Footprint Management System", from the release of general principles and standards for product carbon footprint accounting, to the launch of the carbon footprint label certification pilot, to third-party certification The selection of certification bodies demonstrates my country's determination and actions on the road of green and low-carbon transformation. Carbon footprint is not only an important indicator to measure the environmental impact of enterprises and society, but also a key parameter to assess the effectiveness of sustainable development. It runs through the entire life cycle of the product from raw material collection, production and manufacturing to final disposal. Therefore, accurate calculation and effective management of carbon footprints are crucial to achieving green and low-carbon transformation.

Formulate general principles and standards for product carbon footprint accounting

In order to thoroughly implement the "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Accelerating the Comprehensive Green Transformation of Economic and Social Development","Action Plan for Carbon Peak Before 2030","Implementation Plan for Establishing and Improving Carbon Peak Carbon Neutralization Standard Measurement System" and other decisions and arrangements, actively respond to international carbon-related trade policy, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the General Standards for Product Carbon Footprint Accounting in August 2024, which will be officially implemented from October 1, 2024.

The general rules for product carbon footprint accounting mainly draw on the ISO 14067 international standard issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), adopt a method consistent with the internationally accepted life cycle assessment standards (GB/T 24040 and GB/T 24044), and aim at my country's national conditions and industrial background, stipulates a set of research scope, principles and quantification methods for product carbon footprint that are in line with international norms and local realities. Its main contents include: First, it determines the basic requirements and principles for product carbon footprint accounting, including the use of a full life cycle perspective, function or declaration units, iterative methods, etc. The second is to stipulate the four steps of the product carbon footprint quantification method, the five stages of the life cycle, as well as the preparation requirements for product category rules, accounting boundary selection principles, calculation methods, etc. The third is to put forward product carbon footprint reporting requirements and basic contents.

Before the release of this general standard, domestic companies often relied on foreign standards or self-set rules when calculating their carbon footprints. Non-uniform accounting methods would lead to differences between carbon footprint results of the same products, weakening the carbon footprint. Comparability and reference value of the results. Compared with international standards, this general rule standard adds a reference framework for compiling carbon footprint standards for specific products, suggestions for data geographical boundary information, etc., which is richer in content and more operable. In addition, it also stipulates the identification review, product carbon footprint statement and specific product carbon footprint standard framework to provide sufficient guidance and guarantee for the implementation and application of this General Code. The formulation and implementation of this general rule not only establishes a unified quantitative standard for carbon footprint accounting of my country's products, but also provides a standardized basis for carbon footprint management of my country's enterprises, industries and society. It also promotes accounting rules and certification with major international trading partners. The convergence and mutual recognition of certification results has consolidated the cornerstone of global green trade.

Establish a carbon footprint labeling certification pilot

In order to build a multi-party carbon footprint work pattern, my country's carbon footprint labeling certification pilot is actively promoted under the guidance of the General Rules for Product Carbon Footprint Accounting Standards. In August 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly issued a notice on carrying out pilot work on product carbon footprint label certification, and deployed and carried out pilot work on product carbon footprint label certification. After full research and demonstration, focusing on industries with urgent market demand, severe foreign trade pressure, and outstanding emission reduction contributions, it was determined to carry out certification pilots around 11 categories of products such as lithium batteries, photovoltaic products, and steel.

As a "test field" for standard implementation, the pilot is a bridge between standards and practical applications. The establishment of the pilot can not only test the applicability and effectiveness of the General Rules for Product Carbon Footprint Accounting, but also enrich and expand the promotion and application scenarios of the General Rules and Standards, laying a solid foundation for subsequent comprehensive promotion work and accumulating valuable practical experience. Specifically, on the one hand, testing first in specific regions and enterprises can promptly discover possible shortcomings or problems in actual operation of standards and provide first-hand information for the improvement of standards. On the other hand, the pilot is also a "training ground" for enterprises 'green transformation.

Enterprises participating in the pilot took the initiative to assume the responsibility of quantifying and reporting their carbon footprints, and comprehensively quantified their carbon footprints throughout the entire process from product design, production and manufacturing to sales and services. For example, some manufacturing pilot companies can clearly grasp the "bottom line" of their own carbon emissions by quantitatively managing their carbon footprints, which helps discover emission reduction gaps and potential, promotes the optimization of production processes, introduces high-efficiency energy-saving equipment, and ultimately achieves production efficiency and energy. The double improvement of utilization efficiency has greatly promoted industrial upgrading and corporate green transformation.

Carry out the selection of product carbon footprint labeling certification institutions

In order to speed up the establishment of a unified and standardized product carbon footprint labeling certification system, the National Certification and Accreditation Administration launched the selection of third-party certification bodies in September 2024. The selection process will follow the concept of green development to ensure that the selected institutions have corresponding professional capabilities and technical levels, which represents a new level in my country's quality supervision of carbon footprint labeling certification.

When selecting third-party certification bodies, strict evaluation needs to be carried out from multiple dimensions such as professionalism, impartiality, and independence. It should be noted that professionalism requires third-party organizations to have professional knowledge and skills in carbon footprint calculation, verification, and certification to ensure the scientific nature of certification results. Fairness emphasizes the objectivity of the certification process, prevents conflicts of interest, and ensures the fairness and impartiality of certification results. Independence requires that third-party organizations have no connection with the certified enterprise to ensure the independence and authority of the certification work. This series of strict requirements aims to build a fair, transparent and efficient carbon footprint certification system to provide consumers and the market with true and credible carbon footprint information.

At the same time, the state has cracked down on false carbon labeling, demonstrating the trend of strict certification supervision. The emergence of false carbon labels will mislead consumers, harm consumers 'rights and interests, disrupt market order, and ultimately undermine the good ecology of green and low-carbon development. Therefore, the state has taken a series of measures, such as increasing penalties for false logos, introducing a credit evaluation system, encouraging social supervision, etc., to ensure the authenticity and reliability of carbon footprint information and maintain the credibility of the certification system.

To sum up, from the establishment of standards to the smooth implementation of the carbon footprint labeling certification pilot, to the strict selection of third-party certification bodies, every step marks the steady progress of my country's carbon footprint management work in the direction of scientific, standardized and international. At the same time, it also means that my country's carbon footprint management has an important leap from theory to practice, and contains the strategic wisdom that my country's carbon footprint management work requires both "one game of chess" and "step-by-step". Under the background of vigorously promoting the general principles and standards for product carbon footprint accounting, establish and improve a carbon footprint management system with China characteristics to promote the green and low-carbon transformation of industrial and supply chains, promote green and low-carbon production, and achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality. The goal provides strong support and also marks my country's initiative and responsibility in building a global climate governance system.