Green building materials: profiles for doors, windows and curtain walls

Core Content of Certification

The Green Building Material Certification for Profiles for Doors, Windows, and Curtain Walls focuses on the green performance throughout the product's lifecycle, with core assessments across the following four attribute dimensions:

• Resource Attributes: Includes indicators such as the comprehensive utilization rate of solid waste during production, degree of raw material localization, water resource consumption, and aluminum profile recycling rate. Enterprises are encouraged to adopt environmentally friendly processes to recycle external aluminum scrap, reduce environmental impact in transportation through localized procurement, and focus on the environmental friendliness of raw materials. For aluminum alloy profiles, the proportion of recycled aluminum used and the recyclability of aluminum materials are also assessed.
• Energy Attributes: Focuses on the energy consumption per unit of product. The comprehensive energy consumption during the production of profile products must meet the requirements of relevant energy consumption limit standards. This includes controlling energy consumption in processes such as melting, casting, extrusion, aging, and surface treatment for aluminum profiles, as well as meeting energy consumption requirements for processes like extrusion and shaping for plastic profiles. The Three-Star certification requires production energy consumption to reach the industry's advanced level, encouraging enterprises to adopt energy-saving production processes and clean energy technologies.
• Environmental Attributes: Covers indicators including atmospheric pollutant emissions (nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, VOCs, etc.), dust concentration in the workplace, wastewater discharge, and noise control. Production enterprises must legally obtain a pollutant discharge permit and discharge pollutants according to its stipulations. Wastewater treatment and exhaust gas treatment in surface treatment processes are key focuses of the environmental attribute assessment, requiring enterprises to establish comprehensive environmental protection facilities and operational management systems.
• Quality Attributes: Based on relevant product standards, key performance indicators of profiles for doors, windows, and curtain walls are tested. These include mechanical properties, dimensional accuracy, surface quality, corrosion resistance, thermal insulation performance, etc., ensuring the products possess excellent performance while meeting green requirements. For thermal break profiles, key technical indicators such as transverse tensile performance and thermal insulation performance are also assessed.

Certification Levels and Evaluation System

The Green Building Material Product Grading Certification, based on the T/CECS 10041-2019 standard, divides products into three levels from low to high according to the level of evaluation indicators achieved:

• One Star: Meets basic green evaluation requirements and complies with national basic standards for green building materials. Enterprises must satisfy all control item requirements, with each evaluation indicator reaching the One Star benchmark.
• Two Star: Performs well in resource conservation, energy consumption, environmental protection, etc., reaching an advanced industry level. Requirements for each evaluation indicator are stricter than for One Star.
• Three Star: Demonstrates outstanding green performance, having the minimal environmental impact throughout its lifecycle, representing the highest grade of green building material product. The Three-Star level requires production energy consumption per unit product to meet advanced value standards, with the most stringent requirements for all evaluation indicators. Building material products certified under China's Green Product Certification are considered equivalent to Three-Star green building materials.

The evaluation method also considers the inclusion of bonus points, such as: actively addressing lifecycle environmental impact (through scientific methods like LCA for environmental declarations), using clean energy like green electricity, obtaining energy management system certification, and establishing green factories.

Applicable Product Scope

The Green Building Material Certification for Profiles for Doors, Windows, and Curtain Walls applies to various profile products used in building doors, windows, and curtain walls, including but not limited to:

• Aluminum Alloy Profiles: Aluminum alloy profiles for doors/windows, aluminum alloy profiles for curtain walls, thermal break aluminum alloy profiles, anodized profiles, electrophoretic coating profiles, powder-coated profiles, fluorocarbon paint sprayed profiles, etc.
• Plastic Profiles: Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC-U) profiles for doors/windows, glass fiber reinforced plastic profiles, etc.
• Steel Profiles: Cold-formed steel sections for doors/windows, steel profiles for curtain walls, stainless steel profiles, etc.
• Other Metal Profiles: Copper profiles, titanium-zinc alloy profiles, etc.
• Composite Profiles: Aluminum-plastic composite profiles, aluminum-wood composite profiles, fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) profiles, etc.

Basic Certification Requirements

Enterprises and products applying for the Green Building Material Certification for Profiles for Doors, Windows, and Curtain Walls must meet the following basic conditions:

• Compliance in Operation: The production enterprise must have had 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 the relevant provisions of GB 18599; the storage of hazardous waste should comply with GB 18597 and subsequently be handed over to a unit holding a hazardous waste management license for disposal.
• Compliance in 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 phased out or prohibited by the state or relevant departments.
• Management System Requirements: The production enterprise 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: Product performance must meet the requirements of relevant product standards. Aluminum alloy profiles must conform to the GB/T 5237 series standards, plastic profiles to GB/T 8814, and steel profiles to standards like JG/T 115. A valid type test report issued within one year must be provided for the product.
• Recycling Requirements: Aluminum profile production enterprises are encouraged to adopt environmentally friendly processes to recycle external aluminum scrap, and the recycling proportion should meet relevant requirements.

Certification Process

The Green Building Material Product Grading Certification implements the mode of initial inspection + product sampling inspection + post-certification surveillance:

• Certification Application: Submit application documents including the application form (specifying the desired green building material level), business license, product process flowchart, factory organization chart, list of key raw materials filed, valid product type test report within one year, directory of management system related documents, etc. The applying enterprise must pass the audit by the certification body.
• Document Technical Review: The certification body reviews the completeness, suitability, and effectiveness of the application documents. Review conclusions are categorized as: compliant and ready for on-site inspection, basically compliant but requiring supplementation/improvement, or non-compliant and unable to proceed with on-site inspection.
• Initial Factory Inspection: Includes factory assurance capability check, product consistency check, 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 recovery system operation, pollutant emission control measures, solid waste disposal status, etc.
• Product Sampling Inspection: Determined by the certification body, sampling and inspection are completed by a laboratory possessing CMA (China Metrology Accreditation) qualifications. Inspection items, technical requirements, sampling methods, etc., must comply with the certification implementation rules and green building material assessment standards. Inspection items for profiles for doors, windows, and curtain walls include mechanical properties, dimensional accuracy, surface quality, corrosion resistance, thermal insulation performance, etc. Test reports meeting requirements issued by a CMA-accredited laboratory within the last 12 months 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 certification certificate is valid for five years.
• Post-Certification Surveillance: Surveillance is arranged after certification, with intervals not exceeding 1 year. Surveillance content includes factory assurance capability supervision check, product consistency supervision check, verification of continued compliance with green assessment requirements, and product supervision inspection. For non-conformities found during surveillance audits, the enterprise must complete corrective actions within a specified period.
• Re-certification Audit: Conducted before the certificate expires to renew certification qualification, typically with a five-year cycle.

Value of Certification

• Enhances Product Market Competitiveness: Green building material product certification is a state-promoted voluntary product certification. Certified products can gain priority procurement and application in government procurement, key projects, municipal public utility projects, etc. The green building material procurement support policy jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology explicitly requires government procurement projects to prioritize green building materials. Starting in 2025, mandatory procurement proportions for green building materials in government projects (hospitals, schools, etc.) will continuously increase, and non-certified products will lose significant market opportunities.
• Access to Policy Support and Financial Subsidies: Multiple provinces and cities provide financial rewards or support to enterprises obtaining green building material product certification. For example, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and other locations offer subsidies ranging from 200,000 to 500,000 RMB for certification fees. Certified enterprises may also enjoy preferential tax policies like corporate income tax reductions (in some areas, the tax rate is reduced to 15%). The government procurement green building material support policy has been implemented in 101 cities (municipal districts) including Chaoyang District, Beijing.
• Strengthens Bidding Competitiveness: The green building material certification certificate can serve as a scoring factor in project tender procurement, with Three-Star building materials potentially adding 5 to 10 points in municipal projects. It helps enhance a company's differentiated bidding capability and establish a corporate brand for technology and quality. Obtaining the green building material label is often a necessary condition and a scoring factor for participating in major project tenders, government-funded project bids, and entering the qualified supplier lists of large clients.
• Meets Green Building Development Demands: With the implementation of the "Assessment Standard for Green Building" (GB/T 50378-2019) and the advancement of green building initiatives, the required application proportion of green building materials in new urban construction is continuously increasing. As a crucial component of the building envelope, certified profiles for doors, windows, and curtain walls find easier entry into the green building market.
• Addresses Dual Carbon Strategy Requirements: In the context of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, energy and construction sectors have become main forces in achieving these 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 proactively.
• Promotes International Trade: The certification result can serve as a "green passport" for exports. Some standards have mutual recognition internationally, helping reduce green trade barriers for exports. The green building material label assessment work is actively participating in international mutual recognition mechanisms, providing authoritative and credible grounds for Chinese building materials to enter markets along the Belt and Road and globally.
• Establishes Corporate Social Responsibility Image: Certification demonstrates a company's commitment and actions in resource conservation and environmental protection, enhancing customer trust, elevating brand reputation, and meeting consumer demand for upgraded green building material products.