On April 7, 2024, the National Certification and Accreditation Administration of China (CNCA) issued the “Notice on the Reporting Requirements of Direct Carbon-relevant Certification Rules” (referred to as “the Notice” henceforth). The primary objective of this significant notice is to provide clear guidance and specifications regarding Carbon-relevant certification activities conducted by certification bodies.
The term “Direct Carbon-relevant Certification Rules” pertains to the fundamental criteria and procedures for certifying products, management systems, and services based on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission quantification. It is noteworthy that the Notice applies exclusively to certification rules formulated by certification bodies or those authorized for implementation in the absence of national regulations.
The certification rules falling under the purview of the Notice are categorized into three types for certifications on products/services/management systems: carbon reduction/removal, carbon disclosure, and carbon neutrality.
The key requirements outlined for the relevant certification rules include:
- Comprehensive coverage of application scope, technical basis (technical specifications, mandatory technical requirements, or standards), qualifications of certification staff, certification model (where applicable), data quality requirements, GHG quantification methods for specific sectors, implementation processes, post-certification surveillance, renewal procedures, certificate and marking requirements, and conditions for changing certificate status.
- Certification rules being reported must not bear names similar or identical to national carbon-relevant certification rules. Instead, priority is given to incorporating provisions from international, national, and sector standards. Importantly, it is prohibited to rely solely on domestic or foreign carbon reduction systems such as Chinese Certified Emission Reduction (CCER), Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), Gold Standard (GS), etc.
- Background databases or emission factors should be selected in line with China’s sector development status, ensuring fairness and scientific rigor.
Certification bodies with existing certification rules falling within the outlined scope must promptly submit and file their certification rules through the official online reporting platform. Failure to do so will result in their certification rules being invalidated, and any certificates issued based on those roles will be revoked by April 30, 2024. Furthermore, non-compliance with the certification rules or the stipulated deadline will result in penalties imposed by CNCA.
