Green Building Materials: The Green Building Material Certification for Steel Components for Steel Structure Buildings is an authoritative certification mechanism that systematically evaluates the green and environmental performance of steel component products used in steel structure buildings. It aims to promote the green transformation of steel products for construction through tiered assessment, achieving goals of energy conservation, emission reduction, low carbon, safety, convenience, and recyclability. This certification is primarily based on the group standard T/CECS 10028-2019 "Assessment for Green Building Materials—Steel Components for Steel Structure Buildings" . It comprehensively examines the resource attribute, energy attribute, environmental attribute, and quality attribute of steel components for steel structure buildings, ultimately awarding enterprises a One-Star, Two-Star, or Three-Star Green Building Material Product Tiered Certification Certificate, valid for five years .

Core Content of Certification

The Green Building Material Certification for Steel Components for Steel Structure Buildings focuses on the green performance throughout the product's lifecycle, with core evaluation across the following four attribute dimensions:

Resource Attribute: Includes indicators such as comprehensive utilization rate of solid waste during production, degree of raw material localization, water resource consumption, and steel recycling rate. Enterprises are encouraged to adopt high-strength steel and recyclable materials while reducing environmental impact from transportation through localized procurement. As a recyclable green building material product, the resource attribute of steel components for steel structure buildings focuses on the recyclability performance of steel and the environmental friendliness of raw materials.
Energy Attribute: Primarily focuses on the energy consumption per unit product production indicator. The comprehensive energy consumption during the production process of steel components should meet the requirements of relevant energy consumption limit standards. The Three-Star certification requires production energy consumption to reach the industry advanced level, encouraging enterprises to adopt energy-saving production processes and technologies.
Environmental Attribute: Covers indicators such as atmospheric pollutant emissions, workplace dust concentration, wastewater discharge, and noise control. Production enterprises must legally obtain a pollutant discharge permit and discharge pollutants according to its stipulations. Environmental pollutant emissions must comply with national and local emission standards, and a sound environmental protection management system must be in place.
Quality Attribute: Based on relevant product standards, key performance indicators of steel components for steel structure buildings, such as mechanical properties, dimensional accuracy, coating quality, and durability, are tested to ensure the product possesses excellent performance while meeting green requirements. The quality attribute also includes key technical indicators such as steel strength grade, weldability, and corrosion resistance.

Certification Rating and Evaluation System

The Green Building Material Product Tiered Certification is based on the T/CECS 10028-2019 standard. According to the level of evaluation indicators met by the product, it is divided into three ratings from low to high:

One-Star: Meets basic green evaluation requirements and complies with national basic standards for green building materials. Enterprises must meet all requirements of the control items, with each evaluation indicator reaching the One-Star baseline value.
Two-Star: Demonstrates good performance in resource conservation, energy consumption, and environmental protection, reaching an advanced industry level. The requirements for each evaluation indicator are stricter than One-Star.
Three-Star: Possesses excellent green performance, having the minimal impact on the ecological environment throughout the entire lifecycle, representing the highest rating of green building material product. The Three-Star rating requires production energy consumption per unit product to meet advanced value standards, with the most stringent requirements for each evaluation indicator. Building material products certified under China's Green Product Certification are equivalent to Three-Star green building materials.

The evaluation method also considers the inclusion of bonus items, including: actively addressing environmental impact throughout the lifecycle (conducting environmental declarations through scientific methods like LCA), using green electricity and other clean energy sources, completing energy management system certification, and establishing green factories.

Basic Certification Requirements

Enterprises and products applying for the Green Building Material Certification for Steel Components for Steel Structure Buildings must meet the following basic conditions:

Compliance Requirements for Production and Operation: The production enterprise should have no major environmental pollution incidents or major safety accidents in the past three years. The collection, storage, and disposal of general solid waste should comply with relevant provisions of GB 18599 "Standard for pollution control on the storage and disposal site for general industrial solid waste"; the storage of hazardous waste should comply with relevant provisions of GB 18597 "Standard for pollution control on hazardous waste storage".
Compliance of Production Equipment and Technology: Production enterprises should adopt advanced technologies and processes encouraged by the state and should not use technologies, processes, equipment, and related substances that have been eliminated or prohibited by the state or relevant departments.
Management System Requirements: Production enterprises should establish and operate a quality management system and an environmental management system according to the requirements of GB/T 19001 and GB/T 24001 respectively. Enterprises are encouraged to establish an occupational health and safety management system according to GB/T 45001 and an energy management system according to GB/T 23331.
Product Qualification Requirements: The basic performance of steel components for steel structure buildings should comply with the requirements of relevant product standards. The product must provide a valid type inspection report issued within one year.

Certification Process

The Green Building Material Product Tiered Certification implements the model of initial inspection + product sampling inspection + post-certification supervision:

Certification Application: Submit application documents including the application form (indicating the applied green building material rating), business license, product process flowchart, factory organizational chart, list of key raw materials for record, valid product type inspection report within one year, and directory of management system-related 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. The review conclusion falls into three categories: meeting requirements and eligible for on-site inspection; basically meeting requirements but needing supplementation/improvement; not meeting requirements and unable to proceed with on-site inspection.
Initial Factory Inspection: Includes inspection of factory assurance capability, product consistency, and verification of compliance with green evaluation requirements. The on-site inspection focuses on the operation of the enterprise's energy management system, production energy consumption control measures, wastewater recycling system operation status, pollutant emission control measures, solid waste disposal situation, etc.
Product Sampling Inspection: Conducted by a laboratory with CMA accreditation designated by the certification body. Inspection items, technical requirements, sampling methods, etc., should comply with the certification implementation rules and the green building material assessment standard. Inspection reports meeting requirements issued by a CMA-accredited laboratory within the past 12 months can be accepted.
Certification Result Evaluation and Approval: After the document technical review, on-site inspection, and product sampling inspection are all passed, the certification body conducts a comprehensive evaluation, approves the certification decision, and issues the certificate. The certification certificate is valid for five years.
Post-Certification Supervision: Supervision is arranged after certification, with intervals not exceeding 1 year for each supervision. Supervision content includes inspection of factory assurance capability, product consistency, verification of continued compliance with green evaluation requirements, and product supervision inspection. For non-conformities found during supervision audits, the enterprise must complete corrections within the specified period.
Re-certification Audit: Conducted before the certificate expires to renew the certification qualification, typically with a cycle of five years.

Certification Value

Enhances Product Market Competitiveness: The Green Building Material Product Certification is a nationally promoted voluntary product certification. Certified products can receive priority procurement and application in government procurement, key projects, municipal public utility projects, etc. Policies supporting green building materials in government procurement jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology explicitly require government procurement projects to prioritize green building materials. The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has established a green building material credit application database; certified products will be prioritized for use in government-invested projects, green buildings, prefabricated buildings, and other construction projects.
Enjoys Policy Support and Funding Subsidies: Many provinces and cities offer financial rewards or fiscal support to enterprises that have passed green building material product certification, along with access to preferential financial services and tax policy support.
Meets the Needs of Green Building Development: With the implementation of the "Assessment Standard for Green Building" (GB/T 50378-2019) and the advancement of green building initiatives, the required proportion of green building material application in new urban buildings is continuously increasing. As an important component of building structures, certified steel components for steel structure buildings can more easily enter the green building market. In the green building assessment standard, rational selection of high-strength steel can earn corresponding points; a proportion of 70% or more for Q355 grade and above high-strength steel usage can earn 4 points.
Addresses Dual Carbon Strategy Requirements: In the context of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, energy and construction have become main forces in implementing the dual carbon goals. The Green Building Material Product Certification requires enterprises to conduct carbon footprint accounting, helping them address carbon emission control requirements and plan for low-carbon development in advance.
Establishes Corporate Social Responsibility Image: Certification demonstrates the enterprise's commitment and actions in resource conservation and environmental protection, enhancing customer trust, improving brand reputation, and meeting consumer demand for upgraded green building materials.
Promotes Development of the Steel Structure Industry: Steel structure buildings have advantages such as fast construction speed, good seismic performance, and recyclable materials, making them an important development direction for green buildings. Green building material certification helps promote the steel structure industry towards higher quality and more sustainable development.

Applicable Product Scope

The Green Building Material Certification for Steel Components for Steel Structure Buildings applies to steel component products used in various building steel structure engineering projects, including but not limited to:

Steel Column Components: H-shaped steel column, box column, cruciform column, circular tube column, square steel tube column, etc.
Steel Beam Components: H-shaped steel beam, box girder, I-beam, etc.
Bracing Components: Circular tube bracing, square tube bracing, angle steel bracing, channel steel bracing, etc.
Connection/Node Components: Column base connection, beam-column connection, bracing connection, etc.
Other Steel Components: Stairs, platforms, trusses, space frames, and other structural components.

Green building materials: Steel members Steel members for houses

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