Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments jointly issued the "Opinions on Accelerating the Establishment of a Product Carbon Footprint Management System" (Development, Reform, Environment and Resources [2023] No. 1529, hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"), proposing the overall goal of promoting the establishment of a product carbon footprint management system that is in line with the actual national conditions, clarifying work requirements, key tasks, and guarantee measures, and promoting the standardized and orderly implementation of national carbon footprint management work Effectively responding to the impact of carbon trade barriers in Europe and America, accelerating the green and low-carbon transformation of production and consumption, and helping to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals are all of great significance.

1、 Based on the actual needs in the field of product carbon footprint, the Opinion clarifies work principles and specific goals

The Opinion, in accordance with the major strategic decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality, focuses on the current problems of incomplete product carbon footprint management system, imperfect method standards, and incomplete background databases. It proposes the main principles, short-term and medium-term construction goals, and key work tasks for establishing a product carbon footprint management system that is in line with national conditions.

In terms of the priority order of rules and standards, the Opinion proposes to prioritize the development and promulgation of product carbon footprint accounting rules and standards with strong market demand and obvious supply chain driving effects at the current stage, based on the principle of urgent needs first. This is not only a common practice for major economies around the world to establish product carbon footprint management systems, but also will help Chinese foreign trade enterprises timely and effectively respond to trade restrictions such as the EU's carbon border regulation mechanism. In terms of the relationship between the government and the market, the Opinion proposes to adhere to the principle of "government guidance, market oriented", emphasizing that measures related to carbon footprint management will be decided by enterprises on a voluntary basis, and government departments will accelerate the establishment and improvement of relevant regulations and management mechanisms to build a fair and orderly market environment. In terms of innovative management mechanisms, the Opinion emphasizes that innovation is a key element in improving the level of carbon footprint management. It proposes to strengthen the original innovation, integrated innovation, and digestion absorption and re innovation of carbon footprint accounting and database construction related technical methods, and continuously improve data quality using cutting-edge technologies such as big data, blockchain, and the Internet of Things. In terms of domestic and international coordination, the Opinion proposes to actively strengthen communication and coordination with international stakeholders, promote mutual recognition of domestic and foreign rules, and help domestic carbon footprint accounting rules and standards gain international recognition while adhering to the principle of putting oneself first. This will effectively support the "going global" of domestic green and low-carbon products and reduce the operating costs of our foreign trade enterprises.

The Opinion proposes short-term and medium-term construction goals, focusing on key product carbon footprint accounting rules, key industry carbon footprint background databases, and the establishment of the national product carbon labeling system. It sets clear goals for the construction of the national carbon footprint management system, and relevant target measures respect objective practical laws, which are in line with practical work needs and highly in line with the deployment requirements of the national dual carbon "1+N" policy system.