China to further support green construction via government procurement

BEIJING, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- More Chinese cities and districts will support green construction via government procurement amid a centralised move to promote sustainable development in the sector, according to a government notice released Friday.

Starting this year, 101 cities and districts will encourage the use of green materials and quality construction through government procurement, according to the notice issued by the Ministry of Finance and two other departments, marking an increase from 48 in November 2022.

Projects covered by the supportive policy include hospitals, schools, office buildings, complex buildings, exhibition halls, convention centers, stadiums, affordable housing, and urban renewal projects, it said, which also encourages the involvement of other government investment projects.

Construction materials for government procurement projects that are classified as "mandatory" must all be purchased and used in accordance with relevant green material standards, according to the notice.

Meanwhile, for construction materials classified as "optional," the proportion of green materials used in the projects should be no less than 40 percent of the total.

City and district-level governments involved should promote new industrialized construction methods such as prefabricated and smart technologies, and establish long-term mechanisms that support the green and low-carbon transformation of the construction sector, said the document.

Efforts should focus on building safe, comfortable, green and smart homes while fostering livable, green, and low-carbon cities, it said.

As of November 2024, China had over 5,300 certified green building material enterprises, while the number of certified green products in the sector exceeded 12,000, according to data from China Building Materials Federation.