The National Environmental Management Standardization Technical Committee (SAC/TC207) and the National Carbon Emission Management Standardization Technical Committee (SAC/TC548) are currently seeking opinions on the national standard “Greenhouse gases — Carbon footprint of products — Requirements and guidelines for quantification (Draft for Comments)”. The deadline to submit comments is 6 January 2024.

This standard is a non-identical adoption of the international standard “ISO 14067:2018 Greenhouse gases-Carbon footprint of products-Requirements and guidelines for quantification”. Its purpose is to address the lack in China of localized unified standards for product carbon footprint quantification.

In comparison to ISO 14067:2018, the main modifications made in this standard include:

  • Replacing the international standards referenced in ISO 14067:2018, with corresponding national standards in China – for instance ISO 14040:2006 was replaced with GB/T 24040-2008. Reference to the latest international standards is maintained if there is no corresponding national standard in China.
  • Adding terms and definitions such as “intermediate product”, “product flow”, “energy flow”, “emissions”, “input”, “output”, “allocation”, “information module”, “uncertainty analysis”, “Type III environmental declaration”, and “communication of footprint information”. The aim is to facilitate understanding of the methods for quantifying product carbon footprint.
  • Adding requirements for the compilation of “Carbon Footprint of a Product- Product Category Rules (CFP–PCR)”, providing a reference for the formulation of product category rules in specific domains.
  • Adding product carbon footprint calculation formulas and reference values for Global Warming Potential (GWP) in the impact assessment of product carbon footprints, thus facilitating understanding of quantification methods.
  • Adding a template for product carbon footprint research reports, providing a reference for the preparation of specific reports.
  • Adding requirements for product carbon footprint declaration or information exchange (according to GB/T 24025 or ISO 14026), providing a reference for product carbon footprint self-declaration or third-party verification.

In the latest policy documents, such as the “National Standardization Development Outline”, the “Implementation Plan for Establishing a Comprehensive Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality Measurement System”, the “Implementation Plan for Accelerating the Establishment of a Unified and Standardized Carbon Emission Accounting System”, the “Guidelines for the Construction of Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality Standards System”, and the “Opinions on Accelerating the Establishment of Product Carbon Footprint Management System”. China has put forward requirements for the development of standards for carbon emission verification and accounting. It can be anticipated that this standard will provide strong support for the implementation of these policies, while laying the groundwork for the upcoming certification of product carbon footprints.