Green building materials: masonry materials

Core Content of Certification

The Green Building Material Certification for masonry materials focuses on the green performance throughout the product's entire lifecycle, corely examining the following four attribute dimensions:

• Resource Attributes: Include indicators such as the comprehensive utilization rate of solid waste during production, the degree of raw material localization, and water resource consumption. Enterprises are encouraged to utilize industrial solid waste, such as fly ash, slag, tailings, etc., while reducing the environmental impact of transportation through localized procurement. Non-fired masonry materials also require examination of the recycling of wastewater and waste slurry.
• Energy Attributes: Focus on the unit product energy consumption during production. The comprehensive energy consumption per unit product for fired masonry materials should comply with the provisions of GB 30526 "Energy consumption quota per unit product of sintered wall materials". The comprehensive energy consumption per unit product for non-fired masonry materials should be calculated and evaluated according to GB/T 2589 "General principles for calculation of total production energy consumption". The Three-Star certification requires production energy consumption to reach the advanced industry benchmark level.
• Environmental Attributes: Cover indicators such as atmospheric pollutant emissions, workplace dust concentration, specific radioactivity, and leachable heavy metal content. Limits for radionuclides shall comply with the provisions of GB 6566 "Limit of radionuclides in building materials". Leachable heavy metals shall be tested according to the provisions of GB 5085.3 "Identification standards for hazardous wastes—Identification for extraction toxicity". Production enterprises must apply for a pollutant discharge permit according to law and discharge pollutants according to the permit's stipulations.
• Quality Attributes: Based on relevant product standards, key performance indicators of masonry materials such as compressive strength, density grade, frost resistance, drying shrinkage value, thermal conductivity, and fire resistance limit are tested to ensure the product possesses excellent performance characteristics while meeting green requirements. Evaluation indicators differ between fired and non-fired masonry materials.

Certification Levels and Evaluation System

The Green Building Material Product Grading Certification, based on the T/CECS 10031-2019 standard, is divided into three levels from low to high according to the level of evaluation indicators achieved by the product:

• One-Star: Meets basic green evaluation requirements and complies with national basic standards for green building materials. Enterprises must fulfill all control item requirements, with each evaluation indicator reaching the One-Star baseline value.
• Two-Star: Performs well in resource conservation, energy consumption, environmental protection, etc., reaching an advanced industry level. The requirements for each evaluation indicator are stricter than those for One-Star.
• Three-Star: Demonstrates excellent green performance, having the minimal impact on the ecological environment throughout its entire lifecycle, representing the highest grade of green building material products. Three-Star requires unit product production energy consumption to meet the advanced value standard, with the strictest requirements for all evaluation indicators.

The evaluation method also considers the inclusion of bonus items, including: actively considering the 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, establishing a green factory, etc.

Basic Certification Requirements

Enterprises and products applying for Green Building Material Certification for masonry materials 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 shall 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 shall comply with relevant provisions of GB 18597 "Standard for pollution control on hazardous waste storage" and subsequently be handed over to a unit holding a hazardous waste operation license for disposal.
• Compliance of Production Equipment and Technology: The production enterprise should adopt advanced technologies and processes encouraged by the state and should not use technologies, processes, equipment, or related substances that have been eliminated or prohibited by the state or relevant departments.
• Management System Requirements: The production enterprise 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 masonry materials shall conform to the requirements of the corresponding product standards, such as GB/T 5101 (Fired common brick), GB/T 8239 (Ordinary concrete small block), GB/T 11945 (Autoclaved sand-lime brick), GB/T 11968 (Autoclaved aerated concrete blocks), GB/T 13544 (Fired perforated brick and perforated block), GB/T 13545 (Fired hollow brick and hollow block), GB/T 15229 (Lightweight aggregate concrete small hollow block), GB/T 21144 (Concrete solid brick), GB/T 24492 (Non-loadbearing concrete hollow brick), GB/T 25779 (Loadbearing concrete perforated brick), GB/T 26538 (Fired heat insulating brick and block), GB/T 26541 (Autoclaved fly ash perforated brick), GB/T 29060 (Composite heat insulating brick and block), GB/T 29062 (Autoclaved foam concrete brick and block), GB/T 36534 (Ceramsite foamed concrete block), GB/T 36535 (Autoclaved fly ash hollow brick and hollow block), JC/T 239 (Autoclaved fly ash brick), JC/T 422 (Non-fired garbage and tailings brick), JG/T 505 (Construction waste recycled aggregate solid brick), JC/T 525 (Cinder brick), JC/T 637 (Autoclaved sand-lime perforated brick), JC/T 698 (Gypsum block), JC/T 862 (Fly ash concrete small hollow block), JC/T 1062 (Foam concrete block). The product must provide a valid type inspection report issued within one year.

Certification Process

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

• Certification Application: Submit the application form (specifying the requested green building material level), business license, product process flow chart, factory organizational chart, key raw material filing list, valid product type inspection report within one year, management system related document directory, and other materials. The applying enterprise must pass the review by the certification body.
• Document Technical Review: The certification body reviews the completeness, suitability, and validity of the application documents. Review conclusions fall into three categories: compliant and ready for on-site inspection; basically compliant but requiring supplementation/improvement; non-compliant and cannot proceed to on-site inspection.
• Initial Factory Inspection: Includes factory assurance capability inspection, product consistency inspection, and verification of compliance with green assessment 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: Sampling and inspection are completed by a laboratory with CMA (China Metrology Accreditation)资质 determined by the certification body. Inspection items, technical requirements, sampling methods, etc., shall comply with the certification implementation rules and green building material assessment standards. Inspection items include compressive strength, density grade, frost resistance, thermal conductivity, radionuclide limits, leachable heavy metals, etc. Inspection reports that meet requirements issued by a laboratory with CMA资质 within the past 12 months may 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 Surveillance: Surveillance is arranged after the enterprise obtains certification, with intervals not exceeding 1 year for each surveillance. Surveillance content includes factory assurance capability supervision inspection, product consistency supervision inspection, verification of continuous compliance with green assessment requirements, and product surveillance inspection. For non-conformities found during surveillance audits, the enterprise must complete corrections within the specified time limit.
• Re-certification Audit: A re-certification audit is conducted before the certificate expires to renew the certification qualification, typically with a five-year cycle.

Certification Value

• Enhance Product Market Competitiveness: Green Building Material Product Certification is a nationally promoted voluntary product certification. Certified products can gain priority procurement and application in projects such as government procurement, key projects, and municipal public utility projects. 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 the purchase of green building materials. Housing and urban-rural development departments across various regions actively carry out green building material product information registration work, with masonry materials being a prioritized product category for registration.
• Enjoy Policy Support and Financial Subsidies: Multiple provinces and cities provide financial rewards or fiscal support to enterprises that have passed Green Building Material Product Certification. They can also enjoy favorable financial services and tax policy support. Places like Panzhihua City have explicitly set obtaining Green Building Material Product Certification certificates as a key development goal for building material enterprises.
• Meet 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 creation actions, the required proportion of green building materials applied in new urban buildings is continuously increasing. As an important component of building envelope structures, certified masonry material products can more easily enter the green building market.
• Address Dual Carbon Strategy Requirements: In the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, energy and construction have become main forces in implementing the dual carbon goals. 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. By establishing an energy management system, enterprises can identify key factors for energy improvement and continuously reduce carbon emissions.
• Establish Corporate Social Responsibility Image: Certification can demonstrate the enterprise's commitment and actions in resource conservation and environmental protection, enhancing customer trust, improving brand reputation, and meeting consumer demand for green building material consumption upgrades. Promoting green building materials helps enhance employees' awareness and environmental consciousness regarding green energy saving.
• Improve Product Quality Stability: By establishing and operating a green building material management system, enterprises can achieve stable improvement in building material quality. Using energy review methods to analyze energy consumption and identify key factors for energy improvement makes building material quality more stable, meeting the requirements for the Three-Star level of green building materials.

Applicable Product Scope

The Green Building Material Certification for masonry materials applies to solid (hollow) or porous right-angled hexahedral block-shaped building materials and products manufactured by fired or non-fired production processes, including but not limited to the following types:

• Fired Masonry Materials: Fired common brick, fired perforated brick, fired hollow brick and hollow block, fired heat insulating brick and block, composite heat insulating brick and block (fired type), etc.
• Non-fired Masonry Materials (Cured under Ambient Pressure): Concrete solid brick, ordinary concrete small block, lightweight aggregate concrete small hollow block, non-loadbearing concrete hollow brick, loadbearing concrete perforated brick, fly ash concrete small hollow block, foam concrete block, non-fired garbage and tailings brick, construction waste recycled aggregate solid brick, cinder brick, gypsum block, etc.
• Non-fired Masonry Materials (Autoclaved Curing): Autoclaved sand-lime brick, autoclaved sand-lime perforated brick, autoclaved aerated concrete block, autoclaved fly ash perforated brick, autoclaved fly ash hollow brick and hollow block, autoclaved foam concrete brick and block, etc.
• Composite Insulating Masonry Materials: Composite heat insulating brick and block (non-fired type), etc.