Interpretation | Technical Specification for Zero-Carbon Park Evaluation

The “Technical Specification for Zero-Carbon Park Evaluation” (T/CECA-G 0344—2025) was issued on March 18, 2025, and implemented on March 19, 2025. The following is an interpretation of its development background, purpose and significance, and main content:

 

 

 

01
 

Development Background
 

Since September 22, 2020, when General Secretary Xi Jinping announced China's carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals to the world at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the work of "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" has become the important main line of China's green and low-carbon development for the next 40 years. In October 2021, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council successively issued important documents such as "Opinions on Improving and Fully Implementing the New Development Concept and Doing a Good Job in Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality" and "National Standardization Development Outline". Among them, the "National Standardization Development Outline" proposes to improve the standardization guarantee for green development and "implement the carbon peak and carbon neutrality standardization improvement project". The 2024 Central Economic Work Conference proposed for the first time to "establish a batch of zero-carbon parks" and listed it as one of the key tasks for 2025, marking a shift in this field from conceptual exploration to large-scale practice. The 2025 Government Work Report further emphasized "accelerating the construction of zero-carbon parks and zero-carbon factories", and the intensive introduction of policies has injected strong impetus into the green transformation of parks.

With the acceleration of China's urbanization process, parks, as important carriers of industrial agglomeration and economic activities, account for a large proportion of the country's total carbon emissions. Promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of parks is a key link in achieving the "dual carbon" goals. Against this background, the China Energy Conservation Association, in conjunction with many authoritative institutions, compiled the "Technical Specification for Zero-Carbon Park Evaluation" based on advanced domestic and international experience, aiming to provide a scientific basis and technical support for the creation and evaluation of zero-carbon parks.

02
 

Purpose and Significance
 

The formulation of the "Technical Specification for Zero-Carbon Park Evaluation" aims to provide standardized guidance for the creation of zero-carbon parks of all types (including parks within parks), and to provide a technical basis for evaluation agencies to conduct zero-carbon park evaluation activities. By clarifying the principles, evaluation indicators, and processes for creating zero-carbon parks, this specification helps parks achieve the following goals:

1. Scientifically quantify carbon emissions: Standardize the accounting methods for greenhouse gas emissions in parks to ensure data is true, accurate, and transparent.
2. Optimize energy structure and efficiency: Promote parks to increase the proportion of non-fossil energy and improve energy utilization efficiency.
3. Promote industrial synergy and circular economy: Encourage enterprises within the park to form closed-loop industrial chains and achieve efficient resource utilization.
4. Strengthen management and technological innovation: Promote low-carbon operation of parks through the establishment of carbon management systems, green investment attraction mechanisms, etc.
5. Achieve carbon neutrality goals: Achieve net-zero emissions in parks through emission reduction, carbon removal, and carbon offset measures.

The issuance and implementation of this specification will provide a standardized path for the green and low-carbon transformation of parks in China and contribute to the achievement of the national "dual carbon" goals.

03
 

Main Content
 

(1) Scope

This document specifies the principles, basic requirements, evaluation indicator requirements, and creation and evaluation processes for zero-carbon parks. It is applicable to the creation of zero-carbon parks of all types (including parks within parks), and also to the evaluation activities of zero-carbon parks by evaluation agencies.

(2) Normative References

Lists national, industry, and international standards referenced in this document, including "GB/T 32150 General Rules for Accounting and Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Industrial Enterprises", "ISO 14064-1 Greenhouse Gas Quantification and Reporting Guidelines", etc.

(3) Terms and Definitions

Clarifies the definitions of key terms such as "park", "park within a park", and "zero-carbon park". Among them, "zero-carbon park" refers to a park that achieves regional carbon neutrality within a certain area through emission reduction in multiple fields such as energy, industry, construction, and transportation.

(4) Principles for the Creation and Evaluation of Zero-Carbon Parks

1. Greenhouse gas quantification principle: Ensure that the data meets the requirements of relevance, completeness, consistency, accuracy, and transparency.
2. Creation principles: Emphasize applicability, leadership, and quantifiability.
3. Evaluation principles: Require objectivity, independence, honesty, fairness, and professional rigor.
4. 
    

(5) Basic Requirements for Zero-Carbon Parks

1. Basic compliance requirements: Parks must be legally established, comply with relevant laws and regulations, and have no major safety or environmental accidents in the past three years.
2. Basic management requirements: Parks must formulate carbon emission management systems, clarifying overall goals, planning schemes, and management procedures.
3. 
    

(6) Evaluation Indicator Requirements for Zero-Carbon Parks

1. Management system and incentive mechanism (weighting 15%): Including energy management system, environmental management system, carbon management system, etc.
2. Energy structure and energy efficiency level (weighting 30%): Requires the proportion of non-fossil energy, distributed photovoltaic coverage rate, energy storage layout, etc.
3. Industrial layout and circular linkage (weighting 15%): Optimize industrial spatial layout and improve the reuse rate of waste and water.
4. Building operation and equipment management (weighting 15%): Promote ultra-low energy consumption buildings, and equipment energy efficiency must reach the first or second level standard.
5. Emission monitoring and emission quantification (weighting 10%): Establish an intelligent management platform to achieve real-time monitoring and quantification of carbon emissions.
6. Emission reduction, removal, and offset measures (weighting 15%): Implement emission reduction plans, explore carbon capture technologies, and complete carbon offsetting.
7. Bonus points: Encourage green finance, technological innovation, and standard setting.
8. 
    

(7) Creation and Evaluation Process for Zero-Carbon Parks

1. Preparation phase: Establish a carbon emission management system and management system.
2. Implementation phase: Complete the quantification of baseline year carbon emissions, implement emission reduction measures, quantify emission reduction effects, and complete carbon offsetting.
3. Evaluation phase: Third-party institutions score according to indicators, and parks are classified into 3-star to 6-star levels according to scores.
4. Continuous improvement phase: Continuously improve low-carbon operation levels through optimization of management, technology, and layout.
5. 
    

(8) Appendix

Includes normative content such as the evaluation indicators and score table for zero-carbon parks, scoring methods and level requirements, providing specific basis for evaluation.

04
 

Supplementary Provisions
 

This document was proposed by the Carbon Neutrality Professional Committee of the China Energy Conservation Association, under the auspices of the China Energy Conservation Association. Participating drafting organizations include the China Quality Certification Centre Co., Ltd., Tiandi Technology Co., Ltd., Kunming University of Science and Technology, Huacai Certification Co., Ltd., and over one hundred other institutions.