On August 23, 2024, a national standard that will provide solid regulatory basis for product carbon footprint quantification is approved by the Standardization Administration of China (SAC), namely GB/T 24067-2024 Greenhouse gases—Carbon footprint of products—Requirements and guidelines for quantification (hereinafter referred to as “the Standard”). It will come into force on October 1, 2024.

The drafting of the Standard is led by SAC/TC548 (Carbon Management), who is managed by China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE). The working scope of SAC/TC548 is carbon emission management terminology, statistics, monitoring, regional carbon emission inventory preparation methods, enterprise and project level carbon emission accounting and reporting, low-carbon products, carbon capture and carbon storage and other low-carbon technologies and equipment, carbon neutrality and carbon sink and other fields, and it is also the mirror group of ISO/TC207/SC7 (Greenhouse gas and climate change management and related activities) and ISO/TC265 (Carbon dioxide capture, transportation, and geological storage) in China. 

The Standard itself is of great importance, as it is a significant step to implement the requirements of key national policy and planning documents for China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, including but not limited in the Working Guidance for Carbon Dioxide Peaking and Carbon Neutrality in Full and Faithful Implementation of the New Development Philosophy, the Action Plan for Carbon Dioxide Peaking Before 2030 (both issued by the State Council in October of 2021), and the Implementation Plan on Construction of Carbon Footprint Managing System (issued by  15 national ministries in June of 2024). 

What would facilitate foreign stakeholders is that it is a modified adoption of international standard ISO 14067:2018 Greenhouse gases — Carbon footprint of products — Requirements and guidelines for quantification. Being consistent with international system, this national standard of China would initiate less potential impact and compliant adjustment for foreign stakeholders and their products. Comparing with the ISO standards, besides structural and editorial changes, other technical modifications are made as below in the purpose of improving operability and facilitate the standard implementation in China:

-   Added GB/T24025-2009, GB/T24040-2008, GB/T24044-2008, GB/T321502015 and ISO/TS14027:2017 into normative.

-   In article 6.2.1, added “product carbon footprint — compiling requirements of product category rules”.

-   In point e) of article 6.3.2 "Research Scope of product carbon footprint", contents about geographical boundaries of data are added.

-   Added article 6.3.3 "Product System and its functions".

-   Added article 6.5.3 "Product Carbon Footprint Calculation Formula".

-   Changes the content of the product carbon footprint report in article 7.3, and adds the relevant content of geographic grid division in the product carbon footprint report. 

The general quantification procedure that are elaborated in the standard include:

-   Determine product system and function.

-   Determine function unit and declared unit of the product.

-   Set up system boundary: conform with the cut-off criteria.

-   Follow requirements on data collection and data quality.

-   Analyze on the list.

-   Impact assessment.

-   Result explanation

-   Issue carbon footprint report for the product. 

Foreign stakeholders and manufacturers should be aware that this Standard will not evaluate the social and economic impact or other potential environmental impact that may initiated during the product lifecycle. It is also not applicable for carbon offsetting. 

If you have any question or need the English version of the standard, please reach us at: info@bestao-consulting.com.