National Carbon Emission Management TC Holds Annual Work Meeting

On February 21, 2025, the National Carbon Emission Management Standardization Technical Committee (SAC/TC548) held its 2024 annual work meeting in Beijing. The meeting was attended by senior officials from various government agencies, including:

  • Wei Hong, Deputy Director-General of the Standards and Technology Department of the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR)
  • Lu Xinming and Liu Yang, Deputy Directors-General of the Climate Change Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE)
  • Ding Zhijun, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Energy Conservation and Comprehensive Utilization of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT)
  • Guo Qingjun, First-Level Inspector of the Department of Ecological Protection and Restoration of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA)
  • Cheng Huiqiang, Division Director of the Department of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)
  • Li Yunyü, Division Director of the Department of Energy Conservation and Comprehensive Utilization of MIIT
  • Yu Qian, Division Director of the Standards and Technology Management Department of SAMR

Additionally, more than 50 SAC/TC548 committee members and industry experts participated in the meeting.

During the meeting, Deputy Director-General Wei Hong emphasized the importance of a smooth transition from the dual control of energy consumption (controlling total energy consumption and intensity) during the 14th Five-Year Plan to the dual control of carbon emissions (controlling total greenhouse gas emissions and intensity) in the 15th Five-Year Plan. He outlined key tasks for SAC/TC548, including:

  • Focusing on the needs of emerging industries and strengthening the development of innovative standards;
  • Accelerating the establishment of a comprehensive carbon emission standards system, prioritizing areas with gaps and missing standards;
  • Dynamically optimizing standards during implementation, ensuring alignment with policies and providing supporting measures to effectively achieve carbon emission management goals.

During the meeting, Sun Liang, Secretary-General of SAC/TC548, provided a summary of the committee’s work in 2024 and proposed recommendations for the 2025 work plan.

The committee members deliberated and approved two national standards:

  • General guideline of the greenhouse gas emissions accounting and reporting for industrial enterprises
  • Technical specification of the data quality management of greenhouse gas emission for industrial enterprises

These two standards will soon be submitted for approval by the relevant authorities (MEE and SAC) and are expected to provide guidance on greenhouse gas emission management for industrial enterprises.

SESEC Observation:

The participation of officials from multiple ministries and commissions in SAC/TC548’s annual meeting highlights the Chinese government’s strong emphasis on the committee’s work. This reflects the recognition of standards as a key tool in achieving China’s “dual carbon” (carbon peaking and carbon neutrality) goals.

However, an analysis of SAC/TC548’s completed and ongoing standardization projects suggests that the alignment between its standards and international standards remains relatively low. It is recommended that European standardization organizations enhance communication and collaboration with SAC/TC548 to promote greater global harmonization of carbon emission control standards.

Background on SAC/TC548

Established in 2014 and hosted by the China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS), SAC/TC548 focuses on the development and revision of national standards in the following areas:

  • Terminology, statistics, and monitoring of carbon emissions management
  • Compilation methodologies for regional carbon emission inventories
  • Accounting and reporting of carbon emissions at the enterprise and project levels
  • Low-carbon technologies and equipment, including low-carbon products, carbon capture and storage (CCS)
  • Carbon neutrality and carbon sinks

At the international level, SAC/TC548 mirrors:

  • ISO/TC265 – Carbon dioxide capture, transport, and geological storage
  • ISO/TC207/SC7 – Greenhouse gas management and related activities under Environmental Management

To date, SAC/TC548 has completed the development of 22 national standards and is currently working on 14 additional national standards.

 

Reference: https://www.cnis.ac.cn/bydt/zhxw/202502/t20250227_59567.html