Greenhouse Gas Product Carbon Footprint Quantification Methods and Requirements for Steel Products
1Key Takeaways
This standard provides guidelines for the quantification of carbon footprint for products, specifically focusing on steel products. It outlines the methodologies and requirements necessary to ensure consistency and accuracy in the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of steel. The stan…
2Expert Interpretation
This in-depth analysis of the national standard GB/T 47064-2026 "Methods and Requirements for Quantifying the Carbon Footprint of Greenhouse Gas Products - Steel Products" covers the entire process of system boundary setting, data collection specifications, allocation rules, and quantification calculation, providing authoritative technical guidance and implementation path for steel enterprises to conduct product carbon footprint accounting and information disclosure.
In-depth analysis of GB/T 47064-2026 standard for carbon footprint of steel products
With the acceleration of the global carbon neutrality process, product carbon footprint has become a key indicator for measuring the effectiveness of industrial low-carbon transformation. The release of GB/T 47064-2026 "Methods and Requirements for Quantifying Carbon Footprint of Greenhouse Gas Products - Steel Products" marks a new stage of standardization and refinement in carbon management of my country's steel industry. This standard not only provides a unified methodology for carbon footprint accounting of steel products, but also lays a technical foundation for carbon data collaboration across the industrial chain and responses to international carbon barriers.
Background and Technological Evolution of Standard Development
As a key energy-consuming and carbon-emitting industry, the steel industry accounts for more than 15% of the national total carbon emissions. Under the "dual carbon" target, traditional enterprise-level carbon emission accounting can no longer meet the needs of downstream industries for green procurement and international trade carbon disclosure.
The technological evolution path of this standard presents three significant characteristics: Methodological Integration: Deeply integrating the ISO 14067 product carbon footprint international standard with the characteristics of my country's steel production processes to form a localized accounting framework. Boundary Expansion: Expanding from the "factory gate" to a "cradle-to-gate" full supply chain perspective, covering all stages of raw material acquisition, transportation, and production. Data Refinement: Establishing a four-level data quality control system to ensure the accuracy, comparability, and verifiability of the accounting results. It is worth noting that this standard, for the first time, clearly defines the differentiated accounting requirements for the long process of blast furnace-converter and the short process of electric arc furnace, reflecting a full consideration of the diversity of steelmaking processes.
Core Principles and Quantitative Framework
The six principles established in Chapter 4 of the standard form the cornerstone of carbon footprint accounting for steel products:
| Principle Name | Core Content | Implementation Points | Common Challenges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relevance | Method and Data Fit with Steel Product Characteristics | Selection of Emission Factors and Allocation Methods Suitable for Steel Processes | Selection of Allocation Benchmark for Co-existing Products | |
| Completeness | Coverage of All Significant Emission Sources | Application of 1% Rounding-Off Criterion, Cumulative Ignoring of No More Than 5% | Acquisition of Emission Data for Secondary Auxiliary Materials | Consistency: Consistent accounting methods throughout the process. Establish enterprise-level accounting procedures and databases. Adjustments to changes in data statistical standards. Accuracy: Verifiable data. Prioritize the use of 12 consecutive months of production data. Control of primary data measurement errors. Transparency: Full disclosure of process information. Complete record of assumptions, methods, and data sources. Business database data traceability. Uniformity: Alignment with international methods. Adopting ISO standard frameworks to maintain international comparability.Coordination of Differences Between Domestic and International Methods |
The quantitative procedure adopts a three-stage model: the preliminary preparation stage requires clarifying the accounting purpose and system boundaries; the inventory analysis stage focuses on data collection and quality assessment; and the evaluation and communication stage completes the calculation, interpretation, and report preparation. This structured process ensures the systematic nature and operability of the accounting work.
System Boundary and Accounting Scope Definition
Standard 6.3 clarifies the "cradle-to-gate" system boundary of the carbon footprint of steel products, specifically including three key stages:
Typical Case: Carbon Footprint Boundary Analysis of Hot-Rolled Coil
Taking the production of 1 ton of hot-rolled coil by a steel plant as an example, its system boundary must include: raw material acquisition activities such as iron ore mining (including beneficiation), coking coal mining (including washing and beneficiation), and limestone mining; logistics emissions from the transportation of the above materials to the steel plant via rail, sea, etc.; and emissions from the entire production process from raw material entry to hot-rolled coil production, covering sintering machines, blast furnaces, converters, continuous casting machines, and Hot strip mill and other major equipment.
Application of the selection criteria: When the amount of a certain alloy additive used is less than 1% of the total raw material consumption and its carbon emission contribution is less than 1% of the total emissions, it can be ignored. However, it must be ensured that the cumulative impact of all ignored items does not exceed the 5% threshold.
It is particularly important to note that emissions related to infrastructure such as plant construction and equipment manufacturing are explicitly excluded from the boundary, which is consistent with the international mainstream Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) method.
Data Collection Standards and Quality Control
Chapter 7 of the standard constructs a multi-level data management system, whose core characteristics are as follows:
| Data Category | Definition | Quality Requirements | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Data | Measured data from the production site | Representativeness (≥12 months), Accuracy, Completeness, Consistency | Highest |
| Secondary Data | Indirect data such as databases and literature | Spatiotemporal representativeness, technical representativeness, system boundary integrity | Supplementary Use |
Data Collection Priority Mechanism: Production Measurement Data > Purchase, Sales, and Inventory Ledgers > Invoices and Settlement Statements > Verified Primary Data > Nationally Released Factors > Commercial Databases. This hierarchical mechanism ensures the reliability and traceability of data sources.
Regarding the selection of carbon footprint factors, the standard establishes a clear priority order: Enterprise Self-Assessment Verified Factors > Nationally Released Factors > Third-Party Verified Reference Values > Commercial Databases. It is recommended that enterprises prioritize establishing carbon data reporting mechanisms for major raw materials (such as iron ore and coke) from their suppliers.
Allocation Rules and Co-existing Product Handling
Co-existing products are common in steel production processes, such as the coking process which simultaneously produces coke, coke oven gas, and chemical products.
Standard 7.3 establishes a three-tiered allocation principle: ****Avoid Allocation:** Decompose shared processes into independent sub-processes through process subdivision or system expansion. ****Physical Relationship Allocation:** Allocation based on physical relationships such as mass and heat, e.g., allocating blast furnace gas according to calorific value. ****Economic Relationship Allocation:** When physical relationships are not applicable, allocate according to the economic value ratio of the product.Allocation Practice: Case Study of Converter Steelmaking Process
The converter process produces both molten steel and converter gas. According to the standard requirements, the gas recovery system was first attempted to be divided into independent sub-processes; if this was not feasible, process energy consumption and emissions were allocated according to the physical calorific value ratio of gas and molten steel; only then was allocation based on product value considered. This approach ensures that the allocation results reflect the true physical relationships.
Detailed Explanation of Quantitative Calculation Methods
Standard 8.1 provides a complete carbon footprint calculation formula system:
Total Carbon Footprint: CFP = ERaw Material Acquisition + ERaw Material Transportation + EProduction Stage>
Key points for each sub-item calculation include:
- Raw Material Acquisition Stage: ∑(Consumption × Carbon Footprint Factor), which must cover all major raw materials such as iron ore, scrap steel, and alloys
- Transportation Stage: ∑(Consumption × Transportation Distance × Transportation Carbon Factor), which must distinguish between different modes such as rail, road, and sea transport
- Production Stage: ∑(Activity Data × Emission Factor), which includes fuel combustion, process emissions, and indirect emissions from electricity generation
Special attention should be paid to unit consistency and factor matching during the calculation process. It is recommended that enterprises establish standardized calculation templates and parameter databases.
Result Interpretation and Reporting Standards
Carbon footprint accounting is not the end point, but the starting point for management improvement. Standard 8.2 requires a multi-dimensional interpretation of the accounting results:
| Interpretive Dimensions | Analysis Content | Management Application |
|---|---|---|
| Significance Analysis | Identifying the contribution percentage of carbon emissions at each stage | Determining priority emission reduction stages, such as the blast furnace process typically accounting for 40-60% |
| Sensitivity Analysis | The impact of changes in key parameters on the results | Assessing the impact of variables such as electricity carbon factor and scrap steel ratio |
| Uncertainty Analysis | The range of fluctuations in results due to data and methods | Providing confidence intervals for carbon footprint statements |
| Limitations | Limitations such as accounting boundaries and data quality | Avoiding misinterpretation and misuse of results |
Report preparation must comply with the format requirements of GB/T 24067 and must include at least the core chapters such as purpose and scope, data sources, calculation methods, results analysis, and improvement suggestions.
Information Exchange and Disclosure Requirements
Chapter 9 of the standard provides a voluntary information disclosure framework, recommending that the disclosure content cover five levels:
- Basic Enterprise Information: Unified Social Credit Code, Production Address, etc.
- Product Information: Brand, Specifications, Main Components and Process Flow
- Carbon Footprint Information: Accounting Results, System Boundaries, Declaration Units
- Evaluation Information: Quantitative Results, Graded Evaluation (if any)
- Evaluation Agency Information: Qualifications and Contact Information of Third-Party Institutions
It is recommended that enterprises adopt a "benchmark value + improvement trajectory" model when disclosing information, which demonstrates both the current level and the commitment to continuous improvement.
Implementation Recommendations and Action Plan
Based on standard requirements, steel companies can advance their product carbon footprint work according to the following roadmap:
Phase 1: Infrastructure Development (1-3 months)
Establish a cross-departmental working group, conduct standard training, streamline the main product processes, determine priority product categories for accounting, and establish data collection templates and accounting procedures.
Phase 2: Pilot Accounting (3-6 months)
Select 1-2 representative products to conduct full-process accounting, verify data availability, identify data gaps, establish a supplier data reporting mechanism, and complete the first pilot accounting report.
Phase 3: Full Implementation (6-12 months)
Expand to all major products, establish an enterprise-level carbon footprint database, conduct uncertainty analysis, develop emission reduction improvement plans, and consider third-party verification.
Phase 4: Continuous Optimization (Long-Term) Incorporate carbon footprint into product development and process improvement decisions, participate in industry benchmarking, explore carbon footprint financial applications, and promote supply chain collaborative emission reduction.Key Technology Recommendations：
- Invest in the construction of an energy and material metering system to improve the quality of primary data
- Develop a carbon footprint accounting information platform to achieve automatic calculation and dynamic updates
- Establish an internal audit system for carbon data quality and regularly check the accuracy and completeness of data
- Participate in industry data co-construction and promote the construction of a database of carbon footprint factors for key raw materials
Standard Implementation Challenges and Coping Strategies
During the implementation of the standard, enterprises may face the following challenges and corresponding coping suggestions:
| Challenge Types | Specific Manifestations | Coping Strategies |
|---|---|---|
| Data Acquisition Challenges | Missing supplier data, incomplete transportation data | Establish a supply chain carbon data collaboration mechanism and transition using industry average data |
| Method Application Challenges | Difficulty in selecting allocation methods for symbiotic products | Conduct sensitivity analysis of allocation methods and select the method that best reflects physical reality |
| Resource Input Challenges | Large workload in accounting and lack of professional talent | Phase implementation, leveraging external expert resources and cultivating an internal professional team |
| Result Application Challenges | How carbon footprint drives actual emission reduction | Link carbon footprint with process parameters and establish a carbon performance indicator system |
Looking to the future, with the advancement of international policies such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), product carbon footprint will become a "green passport" for international steel trade.
The implementation of GB/T 47064-2026 will not only help enterprises meet compliance requirements, but also identify emission reduction opportunities through carbon footprint analysis, promote technological innovation and process optimization, and ultimately enhance the international green competitiveness of my country's steel products.