On June 30, 2026, the China Electronics Standardization Institute (CESI), on behalf of the drafting teams, issued a public comment notice for three sector standards on product carbon footprint (PCF) quantification for televisions, microcomputers, and printed circuit boards (PCBs). Stakeholders are invited to submit their feedback by July 30, 2026.
The three PCF sector standards are:
- 2025-1208T-SJ Greenhouse gases – Quantification method and requirements for carbon footprint of products – Television sets
- 2025-1211T-SJ Greenhouse gases – Quantification method and requirements for carbon footprint of products -Microcomputers
- 2025-1212T-SJ Carbon footprint quantification methods for greenhouse gas products – Printed circuit board
All three standards were proposed by the Department of Energy Conservation and Comprehensive Utilization of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and are managed and led by CESI. The development of these standards follows the principle of “association standards first for pilot implementation, with gradual conversion into sector or national standards,” as outlined in the MIIT’s June 2025 Implementation Plan for Deepening Green and Low-Carbon Standardization in Industry and Information Technology.
The televisions and microcomputers standards revise existing frameworks—sector standards SJ/T 11718-2018 Carbon footprint of products – Product category rule – LCD television and SJ/T 11735-2019 Carbon footprint of products – Product category rule – Laptop microcomputer and SJ/T 11736-2019 Carbon footprint of products – Product category rule – Desktop microcomputer, respectively—while the PCB standard is the first of its kind for the sector. The revisions are driven by the need to align with the national standard GB/T 24067-2024 Greenhouse gases – Carbon footprint of products – Requirements and guidelines for quantification, which was issued in August 2024 and is a modified adoption of ISO 14067:2018 Greenhouse gases – Carbon footprint of products – Requirements and guidelines for quantification.
The three standards specify carbon footprint quantification requirements and methods, covering purpose, scope, life cycle inventory analysis, impact assessment, result interpretation, reporting, and declaration. The television standard applies to liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) televisions, as well as similar display devices marketed as television products; the microcomputer standard covers desktop and laptop microcomputers; and the PCB standard applies to rigid, flexible, and HDI boards, with other PCB types such as IC substrates available for reference.
These standards establish a unified methodology for carbon footprint accounting of electronic products in China. For European stakeholders, they may serve as a reference point for potential bilateral dialogue on carbon data comparability, as Chinese companies begin to apply consistent accounting rules. Methodological differences between the two sides still exist, but a shared framework could help reduce communication friction and facilitate future alignment. European stakeholders may find it useful to track these standards and evaluate their supply chain relevance accordingly.
