China is accelerating efforts to establish a comprehensive product carbon footprint management system, with progress made in both foundational elements—standards and emission factors—and key mechanisms, including labeling and certification, tiered oversight, and information disclosure.
Source: Yicai Global
China is accelerating efforts to establish a comprehensive product carbon footprint management system, with progress made in both foundational elements—standards and emission factors—and key mechanisms, including labeling and certification, tiered oversight, and information disclosure. The developments were detailed in the 2025 Progress Report on the Construction of the Product Carbon Footprint Management System, released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) on June 25.
As of the end of 2024, China had issued or was developing more than 70 national standards for product carbon footprint accounting, along with over 100 group standards tailored to specific industries. In a major step forward, updated emission factors for electricity—reflecting China's domestic energy mix—have been released, helping companies address pressing needs in carbon accounting. The institutional framework to support these efforts is also being expanded.
Given that product carbon footprints span the full life cycle—from raw materials to finished goods—China is pursuing a whole-of-chain governance model. In May 2024, the MEE and 14 other government agencies released an implementation plan outlining 22 key tasks, covering the entire carbon footprint process, from accounting rules and emission factors to labeling, classification, and disclosure. The plan also applies across sectors, including energy, raw materials, intermediate goods, and end products. The report notes that China has begun exploring the integration of carbon footprint data into green procurement standards.
Looking ahead, the MEE plans to further develop the accounting rules and standard system, and accelerate the creation of carbon footprint emission factors for key upstream sectors such as coal, oil, gas, and electricity, as well as for energy-intensive materials like steel, cement, and petrochemicals, and transport-related products. A nationwide emission factor database is also in the works, along with sectoral background databases at local and industry levels.
The ministry also aims to complete a comprehensive emissions factor map for upstream products, enhance data quality control, support synchronized efforts to reduce pollution and carbon emissions across supply chains, and promote international mutual recognition of China’s carbon data—particularly in electricity.
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