What are the important roles that will be played by building a product carbon footprint management system, and what are the important implications for the petrochemical industry?
As an important indicator to measure the green and low-carbon level of production enterprises and products, the construction of product carbon footprint system is very important. Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other five departments jointly issued the "Opinions on Accelerating the Establishment of a Product Carbon Footprint Management System" (Fa Gai Huan Zi [2023] No. 1529, hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"), for the first time in the form of ministerial documents to make systematic arrangements for the key tasks of product carbon footprint management at the national level, proposing to formulate product carbon footprint accounting rules and standards, strengthen the construction of carbon footprint background database, establish a product carbon label certification system, and enrich product carbon footprint application scenarios. Promote work measures such as international convergence and mutual recognition of carbon footprints, and clarify the division of responsibilities and safeguard measures.
What are the important roles that will be played by building a product carbon footprint management system, and what are the important implications for the petrochemical industry?
Contribute to the construction of the national system
——Wu Hao, Director of the Low Carbon Economy Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Petroleum Sciences and Secretary-General of the Carbon Neutrality Professional Committee of the China Petroleum Society
Q: What is the background of the new policy and what does it mean?
A: Accurate carbon emission statistics and accounting are the foundation of low-carbon development. Product carbon footprint is a carbon emission accounting at the product level, which involves multiple links in the industrial chain such as raw material acquisition, transportation, processing, and use. At the global level, many countries have initiated and promoted the practice of carbon footprint accounting and carbon label certification to promote low-carbon transition, and at the same time, carbon footprint is evolving into an irresistible trade barrier. At the national level, since the "double carbon" goal was proposed, China has always attached great importance to carbon footprint, and the "double carbon" policy documents issued by the state and relevant ministries and commissions have repeatedly mentioned carbon footprint and other content. At the industry and enterprise level, with the gradual advancement of the national carbon peak and carbon neutrality strategy, more and more industries and enterprises have begun to pay attention to whether their products are low-carbon. However, China does not yet have a unified product carbon footprint management system, and there is also a lack of carbon footprint background database, so the issuance of the "Opinions" is timely.
Carrying out carbon footprint accounting and evaluation will provide basis and support for the measurement, accounting, prediction and supervision of China's carbon emissions, and play an important role in strengthening the coordinated carbon reduction of various industrial chains and accelerating the improvement of the green and low-carbon level of China's product supply chain. The establishment of a carbon footprint management system can effectively respond to international green trade barriers and enhance the competitiveness and voice of China's green and low-carbon products in the world.
Q: At present, what is the overall situation of product carbon footprint management of China's energy enterprises, and what needs to be strengthened in the construction of the system?
Answer: At present, the product carbon footprint management of domestic energy companies is generally in its infancy, with shallow depth and few applications.
First, there is a lack of unified carbon footprint standards for key products. There is a unified method for carbon emission accounting at the organizational level, but there is a serious lack of accounting methods in terms of product carbon footprint accounting. Although some enterprises and institutions have established their own accounting methods, there is a lack of unified national and industry standards.
Second, the accuracy of the data is poor. The product carbon footprint involves all stages of the product industry chain, and it is difficult for enterprises to obtain actual production data that reflects the entire product chain. At present, enterprises rely more on the data provided by government departments and literature data, and there are certain problems in the accuracy and timeliness of these data.
Third, the awareness of carbon footprint and carbon labeling is not strong and the degree of attention is not enough. In recent years, with the continuous enhancement of everyone's awareness of environmental protection, energy-saving products are more popular, but there are also many enterprises and consumers who have insufficient awareness of carbon label products, which is not conducive to promoting the development of carbon labeling, and the popularization of carbon labeling needs to be further improved.
Fourth, China currently lacks a localized carbon footprint database of key products. In the face of various foreign green trade barriers, carbon footprint has become a necessary option for enterprises to go overseas. In order to effectively deal with green trade barriers, China urgently needs to establish a localized carbon footprint database of key products. In recent years, in order to solve the problem of localized carbon footprint database in the petrochemical industry, the Institute of Petroleum Sciences has established more than 100 domestic production processes by using VISPRO software with independent intellectual property rights, calculated the carbon footprint of hundreds of petrochemical products, and calculated the carbon footprint range and average value of each product, forming a unique carbon footprint database.
Q: What achievements does Sinopec have made in carbon footprint management and system construction, and what will be the next step?
Answer: Under the unified deployment of the Health, Safety and Environmental Protection Management Department of the Group Company, Sinopec has started to carry out research and exploration on carbon footprint in 2014, and has achieved certain results and is at the forefront of carbon footprint management. First, through in-depth research and organizational exchanges, combined with the actual situation of the petroleum and petrochemical industry, the carbon footprint accounting method standard for petrochemical products has been formulated; second, the carbon asset management information system has been developed, and a large number of carbon emission accounting and carbon footprint accounting of petrochemical products have been carried out; third, the localization of the carbon footprint database of petrochemical products based on actual production data has been initially established; and fourth, the product carbon footprint accounting information system is being built.
In the next step, under the unified deployment of the group company, it will further improve the carbon footprint management system and mechanism of petroleum and petrochemical products, scientifically formulate carbon footprint accounting standards for petroleum and petrochemical products, build a carbon footprint accounting information system covering all Chinese petrochemical products, continuously enrich the carbon footprint database of petroleum and petrochemical products, strengthen digital and intelligent management and control, improve the level of refined management of data, carry out the application of carbon footprint in different scenarios, increase the training of carbon footprint-related talents, strengthen exchanges and cooperation at all levels, and contribute petrochemical strength to the establishment of a product carbon footprint management system in the country。
Summary of the "Opinions on Accelerating the Establishment of a Product Carbon Footprint Management System".
● General requirements
In accordance with the major strategic decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council for carbon peak and carbon neutrality, we will promote the establishment of a product carbon footprint management system that is in line with the actual national conditions, improve the rules and standards for carbon footprint accounting methods for key products, establish a product carbon footprint background database, promote the construction of a product carbon labeling certification system, and expand and enrich application scenarios. Support enterprises to voluntarily carry out product carbon footprint certification in accordance with market principles, promote the green and low-carbon transformation of relevant industries, actively guide green and low-carbon consumption, and help achieve the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality.
● Working principles
(1) Systematic advancement, emergency use first
Focusing on products with urgent market demand, outstanding contribution to emission reduction, and obvious driving role in the supply chain, we will steadily and orderly promote the construction of a product carbon footprint management system in accordance with the principles of mature batch, promotion batch, and continuous improvement.
(2) Innovation-driven, technology integration
Put innovation in the key position of improving the level of carbon footprint management, and strengthen the original innovation, integrated innovation, digestion, absorption and re-innovation of carbon footprint accounting and database construction.
(3) Government guidance, market leadership
Establish and improve the relevant laws and regulations and management mechanisms for product carbon footprint management, strengthen basic capacity building, build a fair and orderly market environment, and actively guide enterprises to promote product carbon footprint management in accordance with the principle of voluntariness.
(4) Focus on me, open and cooperative
Scientifically formulate relevant laws, regulations, policies and standards, establish a product carbon footprint management system with us as the mainstay, actively participate in the formulation and revision of international carbon footprint-related standards and international measurement comparison, strengthen international exchanges and cooperation related to product carbon footprint, and promote international mutual recognition.
●Key tasks
(1) Formulate product carbon footprint accounting rules and standards
Accelerate the development of basic general national standards for product carbon footprint accounting. Determine the key products to be prioritized for the formulation of accounting rules and standards, and organize relevant industry associations, leading enterprises, scientific research institutes, etc. to formulate carbon footprint accounting rules and standards for key products. Industry departments publish a list of key rules and standards to provide enterprises and institutions with unified and standardized rules and standards.
(2) Strengthen the construction of carbon footprint background database
On the basis of ensuring the unity of methods and the accuracy and reliability of data, the industry authorities can establish an industry carbon footprint background database according to the needs of the work, and provide public services for enterprises to carry out product carbon footprint accounting. Relevant industry associations, enterprises, and scientific research units are encouraged to publish background databases in subdivided fields in accordance with laws and regulations, and support the international carbon footprint database to update relevant background data according to facts.
(3) Establish a product carbon labeling certification system
At the national level, establish a unified and standardized product carbon labeling certification system, study and formulate product carbon labeling certification management measures, and clarify the scope of application, labeling style, certification process, management requirements, etc. Encourage enterprises to voluntarily carry out product carbon footprint certification in accordance with market principles.
(4) Enrich the application scenarios of product carbon footprint
Give full play to the role of carbon footprint management in promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of enterprises, help enterprises find weak links in production and circulation, support enterprises to carry out process transformation, and fully tap the potential of energy conservation and carbon reduction. Incorporate requirements related to carbon footprint management into government procurement demand standards in a timely manner. Encourage consumers to buy and use products with a lower carbon footprint.
(5) Promote international convergence and mutual recognition of carbon footprints
Strengthen research on international carbon footprint methodology, give full play to the role of bilateral and multilateral dialogue mechanisms, strengthen communication and docking with international stakeholders, actively participate in the formulation and revision of international carbon footprint-related standards and rules, and promote mutual recognition with major trading partners in carbon footprint accounting rules and certification results.
Seize the opportunity to standardize management and implement national deployment in an orderly manner
The process of evaluating the life cycle of the product carbon footprint in the petrochemical industry
On November 13, 2023, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other departments jointly issued the "Opinions on Accelerating the Establishment of a Product Carbon Footprint Management System", proposing the overall requirements, key tasks, safeguard measures and organizational implementation plans for promoting the establishment of a product carbon footprint management system in line with the actual national conditions. As the first special deployment of the carbon footprint management system established by the central government since the "dual carbon" goal was proposed, the "Opinions" are of great significance for standardizing and orderly carrying out China's carbon footprint management, effectively responding to the impact of carbon-related trade barriers in Europe and the United States, accelerating the green and low-carbon transformation of production and consumption, and helping to achieve the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality.
At present, China's product carbon footprint management system has the characteristics of policy encouragement, enterprise voluntariness, and cross-parallel research and standards. On October 24, 2021, the Notice of the State Council on Printing and Distributing the Action Plan for Carbon Peaking Before 2030 proposed to establish standards for carbon emission accounting, reporting and verification of key enterprises, and explore the establishment of carbon footprint standards for the whole life cycle of key products, which is the first time that "carbon footprint" has appeared in a document at the central government level. Subsequently, on November 15, 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "14th Five-Year Plan for Industrial Green Development", on January 29, 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration issued the "14th Five-Year Plan" for Modern Energy System, on March 28, 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission and other six departments issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the High-quality Development of the Petrochemical Industry in the 14th Five-Year Plan", and on April 22, 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Bureau of Statistics, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the " Implementation Plan for Accelerating the Establishment of a Unified and Standardized Carbon Emission Statistical Accounting System", etc., all of which have requirements for product carbon footprints. On the one hand, carbon footprint assessment has become an important part of the official policy requirements of the Chinese government, on the other hand, China's carbon footprint assessment is not mature in terms of management system, accounting rules, evaluation methods and practical applications, so the above-mentioned policy documents mostly require the improvement of carbon footprint standards, strengthen carbon footprint research, and encourage the publication of carbon footprint data.
The carbon footprint runs through the whole industry and has an important impact on the whole life cycle of enterprise products and the whole industrial chain. The promulgation of the "Opinions" is both a huge opportunity and a certain challenge for carbon footprint management, especially in the case of a large number of problems such as accounting rules, methods, and technologies that have not been solved, and the disorderly participation of the whole industry may push carbon footprint management into an embarrassing situation of shoddy production. The strategic deployment of the top-level design requires the tactical implementation at the executive level, and how to implement the content of the document is an important part of the future work of building a carbon footprint management system.
The first is to promote the establishment of a carbon footprint management system in stages and steps. The successful establishment of the carbon footprint management system involves all aspects of economic and social operation, and it is unrealistic to calculate the carbon footprint of all products in the society accurately. In the first stage, an evaluation system should be established in the factory-to-factory (B2B) model, and the correlation and sensitivity relationship between the carbon footprint of input raw materials and output products should be established, and the system model of the industrial chain of key industry-level products should be established, and the average carbon footprint database of the industry should be constructed according to the sensitivity relationship between upstream and downstream raw materials and products, and the carbon footprint data should be included in the product standard indicators and statistical indicators of statistical departments at all levels.
The second is to simplify the discourse system and build authoritative, concise and applicable carbon footprint accounting rules. Distinguish between carbon footprint accounting research and commercial certification, and gradually promote mature research results in the field of commercial certification. At the official level, the threshold requirements for commercial certification in this field are put forward, so as to reduce the many useless and inefficient standards and avoid disrupting the audio-visual. The authority of the accounting rules is embodied in the scientificity; conciseness is to grasp the core issues and simplify the methods on the basis of studying the relevant key scientific issues; and the application means that the standards and methods can effectively guide practitioners in how to use them, and to put an end to making standards for the sake of making standards and making standards for the sake of nominal standards.
The third is to standardize the management of the formulation of rules and standards related to carbon footprint accounting. At present, the international standard of carbon footprint is very principled, and it is necessary to formulate specific accounting rules for different industries, and the formulation of these rules must be based on a large number of practical cases in order to refine and form a standardized and unified method. However, in the process of formulating carbon footprint standards, there are some enterprises that have not carried out this business and simply formulate standards and crowd out the standard project approval channel, and set up many difficult to implement terms and restrictions and methods, which cannot play the role of helping practitioners to carry out carbon footprint assessment with standards and norms. Therefore, in the establishment of carbon footprint standards, more support should be given to units with actual performance.
The fourth is to standardize the establishment of scientific research projects in the field of carbon footprint. It is necessary to put an end to the struggle for front-end opportunities such as project establishment, declaration, and bidding, and ignore the review and inspection of process implementation, result fulfillment and effect inspection. Scientifically manage the establishment of scientific research projects, put an end to duplicate projects, substitution projects, plagiarism and other behaviors, give the initiators with scientific research ideas enough time to complete the scientific research work, and strictly control the establishment of similar, similar or even the same technical route during the period when the initiative idea project is not completed.
Fifth, raise the threshold for employment, reasonably control the scale of the industry, and purify the atmosphere of the industry. As a research activity in the form of accounting, calculation and measurement, carbon footprint itself will not bring large material output and economic output value, and will even have a certain impact on the development of high-carbon industries. Therefore, it is necessary to adhere to the meager profit and public welfare of carbon footprint accounting services, prevent them from becoming a burden on the real economy, and should not pursue excessively high business objectives, appropriately control the scale of employees, and let technical personnel work with peace of mind.
