Green Standards and Certification Systems in the Foundry Industry

In the global industrial sector, the foundry industry, as an integral part of manufacturing, cannot be overlooked for its impact on resource consumption and environmental pollution. With the concept of sustainable development gaining widespread acceptance, the foundry industry is facing unprecedented pressure for green transformation. This article aims to introduce the green standards .

Green Standards in the Domestic Foundry Industry

In China, the green standards for the foundry industry mainly include the following aspects:

• General Technical Guidelines for Green Manufacturing - Foundry (GBT 28617-2024): This standard will be officially implemented on January 1, 2025, aiming to guide the design and production of foundry enterprises in the new era. First published in 2012, the standard has undergone multiple revisions, incorporating the latest casting processes and technologies, deleting some outdated technologies, and adding content on waste disposal and resource recycling that was not covered in the previous version. Its overall requirements include improving resource and energy efficiency, reducing resource and energy consumption, pollutant emissions, and carbon emissions, and minimizing or avoiding the use of harmful substances.
• Evaluation Requirements for Green Factories in the Cast Aluminum Alloy Industry (YS/T 1545-2022): This standard applies to the evaluation of green factories in the cast aluminum alloy industry that use primary aluminum and recycled aluminum as raw materials. Its evaluation indicators include basic requirements, infrastructure, management systems, energy and resource inputs, products, environmental emissions, and performance. This standard aims to improve the level of green development in the cast aluminum alloy industry and promote the utilization of recycled cast aluminum alloy raw materials and the recycling of aluminum ash.

Green Standards and Certification Systems in the International Foundry Industry

Internationally, green standards and certification systems for the foundry industry also receive widespread attention. Several international standards and certification systems, such as ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems, the Green Supply Chain Management Standard (SCMG), and HIGG certification, provide clear guidance and norms for foundry enterprises.

• ISO 14001: This is an internationally recognized environmental management system standard that requires enterprises to identify, assess, and control environmental impacts in their operations and continuously improve their environmental performance.
• Green Supply Chain Management Standard (SCMG): Developed by the International Supply Chain Management Institute (ISCM), this standard specifically addresses the assessment of environmental sustainability in the supply chain, covering environmental performance indicators at various stages of the supply chain lifecycle.
• HIGG Certification: Recognized as a passport to the green market, this certification requires enterprises to reduce resource consumption and environmental pollution during production and promote green management throughout the product lifecycle.
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