Today, when the net zero goal and climate response have become consensus, more and more enterprises have realized the importance of green production and green consumption.
Global trade integration and the intensification of green trade barriers have also prompted countries around the world to develop corresponding environmental information evaluation tools and carbon tariff barriers.
The EU's upcoming carbon border adjustment mechanism (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism,CBAM, also known as "carbon tariff") has attracted more attention from enterprises. In fact, the "Environmental Product Declaration" (EPD), which is closely related to the implementation of carbon tariffs earlier, is also a green trade barrier tool that has a greater impact on export companies.
Of course, EDP has also become an important tool for demonstrating corporate performance and corporate social responsibility.
Many European and American companies have issued environmental product declarations for their products or services, involving construction, materials, furniture, daily necessities and other fields.
What is EPD? Why are foreign companies interested in it? Why and how to develop EPD in China?
what is EPD?
the Environmental Product Declaration (Environmental Product Declaration,EPD), also known as Type III Environmental Declaration, is an internationally recognized publication based on the ISO14025 Environmental Signs and Declarations-Type III Environmental Declarations-Principles and Procedures. It is based on life cycle assessment (Life Cycle Assessment,LCA), detailing the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle and other ISO14025-related information. The report generally discloses the impact of the product on global resources, ecosystems, human health and other aspects in the process of raw material acquisition, production, transportation, consumption and final disposal, and finally disclosed after testing by a third party.
It can be said that EPD report is the LCA report of desensitization of enterprise products or services. Third-party validated EPD reports allow an objective comparison of the environmental performance of different products and services.
what is the EPD system?
at present, the international system with a large number of registrations is the international EPD system and the Italian EPD system. The Swedish EPD system (EPD International) is the longest running international EPD system.
different EPD implementing agencies establish unique General Rules (GPI) to ensure the effective operation and application of their EPD systems. Specific rules for specific product categories-Product Category Rules (PCRs), which are also the rules behind each EPD report, are developed according to the GPI to ensure consistent results when evaluating the same category of products.
EPD mechanisms have been formed in various countries and regions, and the main EPD countries and regions are currently in developed countries. These countries are required to apply for EPD through the EPD International System.
EPD disclosure of the product contains what?
the EPD system covers a wide range of products and services, covering almost all types of products and services. Large infrastructure and buildings, machinery and equipment, vehicles and transportation equipment, small to all kinds of chemical products. Food and beverage, clothing fabric and other daily necessities, paper shell plastic, metal, mineral and other products, are covered.
at present, international EPD has registered nearly 2000 products.
With the development of EPD, every commodity in daily life in the future can be registered to the EPD system to find its disclosed carbon emissions and environmental impact.
Enterprise how to carry out product EPD?
1. Select Product Category Rules (PCR)
2. According to the requirements of PCR, the whole life cycle of the product is evaluated.
3. Preparation of EPD pre-report
4. Select the Ancojet detection
5. Finalize the final EPD report for public release and register to EPD system
Why do companies start EPD?
driven by the growing demand for quantitative environmental information in the global market, environmental product declarations (EPDs) have evolved. EPD has been widely recognized and valued by various countries, so it has become a potential green barrier in the international trade market.
"At present, climate change and environmental governance are getting more and more attention from countries all over the world, and the importance of quantifiable environmental information has become more prominent. EPD has become an important auxiliary document for international trade." Zhang Guanbin, deputy director of the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce, said.
1. From the policy aspect
with the establishment of China's unified carbon market, enterprises with annual emissions of more than 26000 tons of emissions in eight major emission control industries, including the power industry, are forced to be included in the regional pilot carbon market; the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) to be established by the European Union will impose carbon tariffs on export products of steel, cement, aluminum, chemical fertilizer and electricity industries, which may be extended to all imported high-carbon products in the future, in order to deal with trade barriers, export enterprises have to pay attention to and take measures to reduce carbon emissions. The introduction of relevant policies in an orderly manner to promote carbon reduction in key areas, enterprises have to focus on low carbon to meet global and national policy requirements.
2, from the enterprise group
in the context of global carbon reduction, many international brands and forward-looking enterprises, in order to demonstrate their corporate social responsibility, have joined the Renewable Energy Initiative (RE 100), the Scientific Carbon Target Initiative (SBTi), etc., and announced net zero emission targets, gradually requiring supply chain manufacturers to provide carbon emission data to calculate product carbon footprint or supply chain total emissions.
3, for downstream enterprises
leading companies with carbon-neutral targets actively manage their supply chains and demand downstream customers to reduce their own scope 3 emissions, and some downstream companies will therefore put forward clear emission reduction requirements for the carbon emissions of their suppliers' products. These downstream users are supply chain companies in the global industrial chain, and the carbon neutral pressure they face can only be achieved through effective supply chain carbon footprint management.
Our EPD development how?
foreign EPD has decades of experience in this area, but this work in China started late. Long-term, continuous hard work is required.
relevant experts said, first of all, we have to carry out our EPD construction work under the same set of standard system, and the methodology based on it is completely consistent with that of foreign countries;
secondly, we need to give full play to the advantages of different industries in China in terms of "quantity" and encourage domestic enterprises to actively release EPD in a short period of time;
third, on the basis of the formation of China's local database, we need to continuously use third-party verification methods to achieve large-scale mutual recognition with international authorities, and improve the authority and credibility of my country's own EPD platform;
finally, it is necessary to cooperate with relevant national departments to start mutual recognition negotiations with the European Union, and finally realize mutual recognition between the two sides.
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