Published by ChinaMNC · Yinzhou

Ningbo's Green Building Materials Promotion Measures: A Guide for Foreign Founders

Ningbo has introduced new measures to promote green building materials, effective January 1, 2027. For foreign founders operating in construction, manufacturing, or related sectors, these rules create both obligations and opportunities. This article outlines the key provisions and what they mean for your business.

Ningbo's Green Building Materials Promotion Measures

Foreign founders involved in construction, building materials manufacturing, or infrastructure projects in Ningbo should note the city's new Measures for Promoting the Application of Green Building Materials (Ningbo Municipal Government Order No. 285), published on October 24, 2026, and effective January 1, 2027. The measures aim to increase the use of green building materials, improve resource efficiency, and support the green and low-carbon transformation of urban and rural development.

What Are Green Building Materials?

The measures define green building materials as products that reduce resource consumption and environmental impact throughout their life cycle, featuring energy savings, emission reduction, low carbon, safety, convenience, and recyclability. If your company produces or supplies building materials, understanding this definition is essential to qualify for incentives and meet procurement requirements.

Scope and Responsibilities

The measures apply to all activities related to the application, promotion, and support of green building materials within Ningbo's administrative area. The housing and urban-rural development department is responsible for overall coordination, implementation, and supervision. Transportation and water conservancy departments handle promotion within their respective sectors. Other departments, including development and reform, economy and information technology, science and technology, finance, natural resources and planning, ecology and environment, agriculture and rural affairs, state-owned assets supervision, and market supervision, contribute according to their duties.

Certification and Database

Housing and urban-rural development, market supervision, and economy and information technology departments jointly manage certification of green building materials and establish incentive mechanisms to encourage manufacturers to obtain green certification. A city-level green building materials application database will be created and dynamically updated, publicly accessible, to facilitate procurement and verification.

Support for Manufacturers

The measures encourage manufacturers to adopt intelligent technologies and transition to green, low-carbon production. Support includes process upgrades, energy substitution, energy conservation and carbon reduction, and resource recycling. Manufacturers are also encouraged to use low-carbon, low-consumption transportation and gradually replace transport vehicles and non-road mobile machinery with new energy alternatives. Digital laboratories and industrial internet integration are promoted to monitor production data and ensure consistent quality.

Product Documentation

When delivering green building materials, producers and sellers must provide a product certificate and, where applicable, a green building material certification certificate or batch test reports meeting green standards. This requirement ensures transparency and quality control.

Priority Products

The measures list specific products for promotion through demonstration projects and inclusion in the database: ultra-high performance concrete, high-ductility concrete, prefabricated components, recycled asphalt mixtures, new wall materials, special mortars, and new insulation and energy-saving materials, among others supported by national and provincial policies. Foreign founders in these niches may find new market opportunities.

Construction Waste Recycling

Support is given to recycled products from construction waste, including green certification. The housing and urban-rural development department, together with transportation and water conservancy departments, will periodically issue technical guidelines for recycled products, specifying applicable types, scope, and technical requirements.

Prefabricated Components

Encouragement is given for on-site supervision during production of ready-mixed concrete and prefabricated components to ensure compliance with green, environmental, clean production, and quality standards. A standardized information database for prefabricated components will be established and made freely available to the public.

Technical Standards and Innovation

Departments will develop policies and technical specifications for green building materials in their sectors and coordinate mutual recognition. New materials without national standards that may affect quality and safety require technical demonstration before use. Enterprises, universities, and research institutes are encouraged to research and develop new technologies, processes, and equipment, with the science and technology department supporting research and commercialization.

Procurement Requirements

Government agencies, public institutions, and state-owned enterprises must procure green building materials in government-invested projects in housing, municipal infrastructure, transportation, and water conservancy, in line with green procurement policies. Socially invested projects should apply green building materials according to national and provincial regulations, with encouragement to exceed minimum application ratios. Detailed rules for application ratios and accounting will be formulated.

Responsibilities of Project Participants

Construction units must incorporate green building material requirements into project proposals, feasibility studies, bidding documents, and contracts as substantive requirements. Design units must include a dedicated green building material section in design documents, specifying technical indicators. Construction and supervision units must include green material application in their quality and supervision responsibilities, ensuring synchronous implementation with construction, supervision, and acceptance. Quality supervision will cover compliance with these requirements.

Rural and Cost Support

Incentive mechanisms will promote green building materials in rural housing and infrastructure. A cost system will be established, with regular publication of cost information to support application.

Foreign founders should assess how these measures affect their operations and consider opportunities in certification, product innovation, and public procurement. Compliance with documentation and procurement rules will be key.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.