Five departments: Accelerate the establishment of product carbon footprint management system

Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Transport and other departments jointly issued the “Opinions on Accelerating the Establishment of a Product Carbon Footprint Management System.” The “Opinions” propose that by 2025, about 50 carbon footprint accounting rules and standards for key products will be promulgated at the national level, a number of key industry carbon footprint background databases will be initially established, and a national product carbon label certification system will be basically established. By 2030, about 200 carbon footprint accounting rules and standards for key products will be promulgated at the national level.

The “Opinions” make systematic arrangements for various key tasks of product carbon footprint management, and propose to formulate product carbon footprint accounting rules and standards, strengthen the construction of carbon footprint background database, establish a product carbon label certification system, enrich product carbon footprint application scenarios, and promote the internationalization of carbon footprints. work measures such as connection and mutual recognition, and clarified the division of responsibilities and safeguard measures.

Product carbon footprint is a type of carbon emission accounting. It generally refers to the total carbon emissions generated by products from raw material processing, transportation, production to factory sales. It is an important indicator to measure the green and low-carbon level of manufacturing enterprises and products. In recent years, some countries have gradually established carbon footprint accounting, evaluation and certification systems for key products, and more and more multinational companies have also incorporated product carbon footprints into sustainable supply chain management requirements.

The “Opinions” deployed five key tasks to build an overall framework for the product carbon footprint management system: First, formulate product carbon footprint accounting rules and standards. Accelerate the formulation of basic general national standards for product carbon footprint accounting, and clarify accounting boundaries, accounting methods, data quality requirements, and traceability requirements. Organize relevant industry associations, leading enterprises, scientific research institutes, etc. to formulate carbon footprint accounting rules and standards for key products. The second is to build a carbon footprint background database. Industry authorities can establish industry carbon footprint background databases based on work needs to provide public services for enterprises to carry out product carbon footprint accounting. Encourage relevant industry associations, enterprises, and scientific research institutions to publish background databases in subdivided fields in accordance with laws and regulations, and support the international carbon footprint database to update relevant background data based on facts. The third is to establish a product carbon label certification system. Establish a unified and standardized product carbon label certification system at the national level, and study and formulate product carbon label certification management measures. Encourage enterprises to voluntarily carry out product carbon footprint certification in accordance with market-oriented principles. The fourth is to enrich product carbon footprint application scenarios. Give full play to the role of carbon footprint management in promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of enterprises, help enterprises find weak links in carbon emission management in production and circulation, and tap the potential of energy conservation and carbon reduction. Encourage consumers to purchase and use products with lower carbon footprints. The fifth is to promote international connection and mutual recognition of carbon footprints. Strengthen research on international carbon footprint methodology, give full play to the role of bilateral and multilateral dialogue mechanisms, strengthen communication and docking with international relevant parties, and promote mutual recognition of carbon footprint accounting rules and certification results with major trading partners.

The “Opinions” propose four supporting measures. The first is to strengthen policy support. Strengthen the research and development of carbon footprint accounting rules and standards, encourage social capital to invest in the construction of commercial carbon footprint background databases, and guide financial institutions to gradually establish an enterprise green and low-carbon level evaluation system based on product carbon footprints. The second is to strengthen capacity building. Establish a product carbon footprint management expert working group to provide technical support for various key tasks. Carry out carbon footprint-related vocational training in a standardized and orderly manner to improve the professional capabilities of employees. Support relevant institutions to strengthen their own capacity building. The third is to improve data quality. Strengthen the construction of the carbon footprint data quality measurement assurance system and continue to improve the reliability and timeliness of data monitoring, collection, storage, accounting, and verification. Strengthen industry management and severely crack down on all types of fraud and false and excessive standards. The fourth is to strengthen intellectual property protection. Explore and study intellectual property protection systems in areas such as carbon footprint accounting methods and carbon footprint background databases, and cultivate and develop intellectual property dispute mediation organizations, arbitration institutions, and notary institutions.