Green building materials: architectural ceramics

Core Content of Certification

The Green Building Material Certification for Building Ceramics focuses on the green performance throughout the product's lifecycle, with core assessment covering the following four attribute dimensions:

• Resource Attributes: Includes indicators such as the comprehensive utilization rate of solid waste during production, proportion of low-grade raw material usage, freshwater consumption, and production waste recycling rate. Encourages enterprises to use low-grade raw materials like industrial tailings, slag, and waste materials, reduce environmental impact in transportation through localized procurement, and pay attention to the environmental friendliness of raw materials. Resource attributes require enterprises to establish wastewater recycling systems to achieve the reuse of production wastewater.
• Energy Attributes: Focuses on the comprehensive energy consumption per unit product. The comprehensive energy consumption during building ceramic production should meet the requirements of the GB 21252 "Energy consumption limit per unit product of building and sanitary ceramics" standard, covering energy consumption control in processes like raw material preparation, forming, drying, firing, and polishing. The Three-Star certification requires production energy consumption to reach industry advanced levels, encouraging enterprises to adopt energy-saving production processes and clean energy technologies.
• Environmental Attributes: Covers indicators such as atmospheric pollutant emissions (particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, etc.), workplace dust concentration, wastewater discharge, noise control, and limits on radionuclides. Production enterprises must legally obtain pollutant discharge permits and discharge pollutants according to permit stipulations. The collection, storage, and disposal of general solid waste should comply with relevant provisions of GB 18599; the storage of hazardous waste should comply with GB 18597, and subsequent disposal should be handed over to units holding hazardous waste operation licenses.
• Quality Attributes: Based on relevant product standards, key performance indicators of building ceramic products are tested, including abrasion resistance, stain resistance, coefficient of friction (dry method), frost resistance, breaking strength, modulus of rupture, etc., ensuring products possess excellent performance while meeting green requirements. For ceramic slab products used for countertops, additional requirements for soluble lead and cadmium content are added.

Certification Levels and Evaluation System

The Green Building Material Product Grading Certification is based on the GB/T 35610-2024 standard, dividing products into three levels from low to high according to the level of evaluation indicators achieved:

• One-Star: Meets basic green evaluation requirements, complying with national fundamental standards for green building materials. Enterprises must satisfy all requirements of control items, with each evaluation indicator reaching the One-Star benchmark value.
• Two-Star: Demonstrates good performance in resource conservation, energy consumption, and environmental protection, reaching industry advanced levels. Evaluation indicator requirements are stricter than One-Star.
• Three-Star: Exhibits excellent green performance, with minimal ecological impact throughout the lifecycle, representing the highest grade of green building material products. Three-Star requires comprehensive energy consumption per unit product to meet advanced value standards, with the strictest requirements for all evaluation indicators. Building material products certified under China's Green Product Certification are equivalent to Three-Star green building materials.

The evaluation method also considers the application of bonus points, including: actively focusing on environmental impact throughout the lifecycle (conducting environmental declarations through scientific methods like LCA), using clean energy like green electricity, completing energy management system certification, and being recognized as a green factory.

Basic Certification Requirements

Enterprises and products applying for Building Ceramic Green Building Material Certification must meet the following basic conditions:

• Compliance Requirements for Production and Operation: The production enterprise must comply with applicable national standards, local standards, and environmental impact assessment approval regulations, obtain a pollutant discharge permit from the local government, and have no major environmental pollution incidents or major safety accidents in the past three years. The collection, storage, and disposal of general solid waste must comply with GB 18599; hazardous waste storage must comply with GB 18597, with subsequent disposal entrusted to units holding hazardous waste operation licenses.
• Compliance of Production Equipment and Technology: Production enterprises should adopt advanced technologies and processes encouraged by the state and must not use technologies, processes, equipment, or related substances that have been eliminated or prohibited by the state or relevant departments. The firing kilns of production enterprises should use clean energy such as natural gas, coke oven gas, or liquefied petroleum gas.
• Management System Requirements: Production enterprises should establish and operate a Quality Management System, an Environmental Management System, and an Occupational Health and Safety Management System in accordance with GB/T 19001, GB/T 24001, and GB/T 45001 respectively.
• Product Qualification Requirements: The basic performance of ceramic tile products should comply with current national and industry standards such as GB/T 4100, GB/T 23266, GB/T 23458, GB/T 27972, JC/T 2195, etc. Products must provide a valid type test report issued within one year.

Evaluation Indicator Requirements

The evaluation indicator system for building ceramics consists of primary and secondary indicators. Primary indicators include Resource Attribute indicators, Energy Attribute indicators, Environmental Attribute indicators, and Quality Attribute indicators. Main testing items and reference standards include:

• Radionuclide Limits: Tested according to GB 6566; internal and external exposure indices must meet relevant standard requirements.
• Comprehensive Energy Consumption per Unit Product: Tested and calculated according to GB 21252; comprehensive energy consumption per unit product of building ceramics must meet the advanced value requirements of the energy consumption limit standard.
• Abrasion Resistance: Unglazed tiles tested per GB/T 3810.6; glazed tiles tested per GB/T 3810.7. Abrasion resistance of paving tiles is evaluated by "wear amount" using a sand falling test.
• Stain Resistance: Tested according to GB/T 3810.14, reflecting the ceramic tile's resistance to contaminants.
• Coefficient of Friction (Dry Method): Reflects the anti-slip performance of the ceramic tile surface, particularly important for floor tiles.
• Soluble Lead and Cadmium Content: An additional requirement for ceramic tiles (mainly slabs) used for countertops. Tested according to HJ/T 297 "Technical Requirement for Environmental Labeling Products Ceramic Tiles" to ensure health and safety.
• Carbon Emissions per Unit Product: Carbon emissions are calculated per GB/T 32151.9 "Requirements of the greenhouse gas emissions accounting and reporting—Part 9: Ceramic product manufacturer", serving as an important green attribute indicator.

Certification Process

The Green Building Material Product Grading Certification implements the model of Initial Inspection + Product Sampling Inspection + Post-Certification Supervision:

• Certification Application: Submit application documents including the application form (specifying the desired green building material grade), business license, product process flowchart, factory organizational chart, list of key raw materials on record, valid product type test report within one year, directory of management system documents, etc. The applicant must pass the certification body's review.
• Document Technical Review: The certification body reviews the completeness, suitability, and validity of the application documents. Conclusions are: meets requirements (proceed to on-site inspection), basically meets (needs supplementation/improvement), or does not meet requirements (cannot proceed to on-site inspection).
• Initial Factory Inspection: Includes factory assurance capability check, product consistency check, and verification of compliance with green evaluation requirements. On-site inspection focuses on the operation of the enterprise's energy management system, production energy consumption control measures, wastewater recycling system operation, pollutant emission control measures, solid waste disposal, etc.
• Product Sampling Inspection: Sampling and inspection are conducted by a laboratory with CMA qualification designated by the certification body. Test items include radionuclide limits, abrasion resistance, stain resistance, coefficient of friction, carbon emissions per unit product, etc. Conforming test reports issued within the last 12 months by CMA-qualified laboratories may be accepted.
• Certification Result Evaluation and Approval: After passing the document technical review, on-site inspection, and product sampling inspection, the certification body conducts a comprehensive evaluation, approves the certification decision, and issues the certificate. The certificate is valid for five years.
• Post-Certification Supervision: Supervision is arranged after certification, with intervals not exceeding one year. Supervision content includes factory assurance capability surveillance inspection, product consistency surveillance inspection, verification of ongoing compliance with green evaluation requirements, and product supervision inspection. Non-conformities found during supervision audits must be rectified by the enterprise within a specified period.
• Re-certification Audit: Conducted before certificate expiry to renew certification eligibility, typically on a five-year cycle.

Certification Value

• Enhances Product Market Competitiveness: Green Building Material Product Certification is a nationally promoted voluntary product certification. Certified products gain priority in government procurement, key projects, and municipal utility projects. Policies jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology explicitly require priority procurement of green building materials in government projects. Starting from 2025, mandatory green building material procurement for government projects (hospitals, schools, etc.) will be ≥80%, meaning non-certified products will lose significant market opportunities.
• Access to Policy Support and Funding Subsidies: Many provinces and cities offer financial rewards or support to enterprises obtaining green building material certification. For example, Shanghai and Shenzhen subsidize certification fees by 200,000 to 500,000 RMB. Certified enterprises may also enjoy preferential tax policies like corporate income tax reduction (in some areas, rates reduced to 15%). The government procurement policy supporting green building materials has been implemented in 101 cities (municipal districts) including Chaoyang District, Beijing.
• Enhances Bidding Competitiveness: The Green Building Material Certification Certificate can serve as a scoring factor in project bidding, with Three-Star materials potentially adding 5-10 points in municipal projects. It helps strengthen an enterprise's differentiated bidding capability and establish its technology and quality brand. Obtaining the green building material label is often a necessary condition and a bidding advantage for participating in major projects, government-funded project tenders, and inclusion in large clients' qualified supplier lists.
• Meets Green Building Development Needs: With the implementation of the Assessment Standard for Green Building (GB/T 50378-2019) and the advancement of green building initiatives, the required application ratio of green building materials in new urban buildings is increasing. Using 5 or more types of green decoration materials can earn an 8-point bonus, with building ceramics being a key category. As a major component of building decoration, certified products gain easier access to the green building market.
• Addresses Dual-Carbon Strategy Requirements: Against the backdrop of carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, energy and construction sectors are primary drivers. The certification requires enterprises to conduct carbon footprint and unit product carbon emission accounting, helping them meet carbon emission control requirements and plan for low-carbon development proactively.
• Promotes International Trade: Certification results can serve as a "green pass" for exports. Some standards have international mutual recognition, helping reduce green trade barriers.
• Establishes Corporate Social Responsibility Image: Certification demonstrates an enterprise's commitment and actions in resource conservation and environmental protection, enhances customer trust, improves brand reputation, and meets consumer demand for upgraded green building materials.

Applicable Product Scope

The Building Ceramic Green Building Material Certification is applicable to various types of building ceramic tile (plate) products, including but not limited to:

• Ceramic Tiles: Plate or block-shaped building ceramic products made primarily from clay, feldspar, and quartz for covering walls and floors, including porcelain tiles, stoneware porcelain tiles, fine stoneware tiles, stoneware tiles, earthenware tiles, etc.
• Ceramic Plates: Plate-shaped ceramic products made from clay and other inorganic non-metallic materials through forming, high-temperature firing, etc., including ceramic slabs, large-format slabs, etc.
• Paving Tiles: Ceramic tiles used for paving squares and roads.
• Dry-Hanging Hollow Ceramic Plates: Hollow ceramic plate products used for dry-hanging installation.
• Thin Ceramic Tiles: Thin products with a thickness less than conventional ceramic tiles.