On June 16–17, 2025, the CATC International Technical Expert Committee Meeting (CATC-ITEC) was held in Barcelona, Spain. During the event, the SEA LCA officially released the Sino-European Guidelines for Automotive Carbon Footprint Accounting, Verification, and Mutual Recognition v1.0 (hereinafter referred to as the “Guidelines”), and issued the first Sino-European mutual recognition certificate to Chery Automobile.

This release signifies a major milestone: global automotive carbon footprint management has entered a new stage of Sino-European standards alignment and real-vehicle mutual recognition.

Jointly published by the Carbon Digital Center, Automotive Test & Assessment Management Center, Green NCAP, DEKRA, Chery, Changan, and NIO, the Guidelines represent the world’s first systematic document for cross-regional automotive carbon footprint mutual recognition. Centered on the “Single Calculation, Multiple Recognition” principle, the Guidelines clarify key technical convergence pathways between China and Europe—covering methodology alignment, database interconnection, and verification procedures—thus providing a standardized basis for bilateral acceptance of carbon data.

As the first real-world implementation of the mutual recognition mechanism, the Chery JAECOO 7 SHS model was unveiled at the conference and awarded the first mutual recognition certificate. This achievement sets a replicable precedent for future cross-border acceptance of automotive carbon footprint data.

During the event, core members of the SEA LCA from CATARC, Green NCAP, DEKRA, and Chery shared their latest research outcomes and future plans in the field of low-carbon automotive development. In-depth discussions on the working group’s interim results highlighted the strong alignment between China and Europe on full life cycle carbon management, and underscored the pivotal role that mutual recognition mechanisms play in advancing global low-carbon technology collaboration.

The outcomes of this initiative are expected to empower Chinese and European automakers to reduce compliance costs for green trade, while offering a practical reference for the global implementation of automotive LCA and carbon footprint regulations. The working group aims to bring more leading industry players on board within the year, accelerating the global automotive sector’s transition to net-zero.

The Guidelines and related research results will soon be available on the CPP platform (www.auto-cpp.com) and via Green NCAP’s official channels. Stay tuned for updates!

Mutual Recognition Guidelines Released

Expert Sharing Session

Tianning Zhao

TEL：15122552109

Mail：zhaotianning@catarc.ac.cn

Xin Sun

TEL：18010028573

Mail：sunxing@catarc.ac.cn

Jiali Wu

TEL：18222675405

Mail：wujiali@catarc.ac.cn