Against the backdrop of the global low-carbon development wave, carbon footprint has become a core consideration indicator in international trade, and even an important foundation for enterprises to go overseas in compliance.

The following sorts out the basic understanding of carbon footprint in international trade from three aspects: core definition, key links, and the current supervision status of major global economies.

In the field of international trade, carbon footprint specifically refers to the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated during the entire life cycle of cross-border traded goods and services. This indicator is key to evaluating the impact of global trade activities on climate change, an important basis for countries to formulate green trade policies, and directly related to the international market access qualification of products.

The core of carbon footprint accounting focuses on two major links: commodity production and cross-border transportation, both of which are the main sources of carbon emissions in international trade:

Production link: Although the carbon emissions generated by the exporting country in manufacturing export products are borne by the production end, when the importing country consumes the products, it actually indirectly bears the energy consumption and carbon emission costs of this part;

Transportation link: As an indispensable process in international trade, long-distance maritime, land, and air transportation will significantly increase carbon emissions, and the carbon footprints of different transportation methods vary significantly. Among them, air transportation carbon emissions are much higher than road and maritime transportation, making it a key focus for emission reduction in international transportation.

At present, major developed economies around the world have taken the lead in formulating carbon footprint-related supervision rules. Among them, the EU, the United States, and Japan are the main representatives of carbon footprint supervision, each with its own focus and clear requirements for import and export trade:

The EU has the strictest supervision, introducing a number of mandatory regulations such as CBAM and the new Battery Regulation, requiring carbon footprint accounting, disclosure and supporting certification (battery passport, digital passport);

The U.S. federal government has not yet established unified rules, but local governments have issued mandatory requirements for carbon footprint reporting, the industry has implemented carbon labeling, and a carbon tariff draft has been proposed;

Japan mainly adopts a voluntary carbon labeling system, and is gradually promoting mandatory carbon footprint disclosure for categories such as power batteries, and has issued accounting standards and guidelines.

At present, global carbon footprint supervision presents three clear trends, which have become new rules that enterprises must adapt to when going overseas:

First, it is gradually shifting from voluntary disclosure to mandatory requirements, with the coverage of categories continuously expanding;

Second, the accounting requirements are more refined, emphasizing full-life-cycle accounting and raising requirements for data quality;

Third, it is deeply bound to trade, taking carbon footprint accounting and certification as market access thresholds, which have become necessary compliance conditions for enterprises to go overseas.

Faced with the complex situation and compliance requirements of global carbon footprint supervision, enterprises going overseas are in urgent need of professional partners to provide comprehensive support to avoid compliance risks and lay a solid foundation for going overseas.

As a professional service organization deeply engaged in the field of carbon compliance, SKYCO2 provides full-process carbon footprint-related support for enterprises going overseas based on in-depth interpretation of global carbon footprint supervision rules and rich practical experience.

From carbon footprint accounting guidance, supervision rule adaptation to compliance report preparation, SKYCO2 helps enterprises accurately connect with global carbon supervision requirements, calmly respond to the new situation of green trade, and steadily expand the international market with practical and efficient services.