Industrial products are in for a green design makeover, along with the green and low-carbon development of the manufacturing sector, after China recently released a set of guidelines to expedite the process.

The guidelines were jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the State Administration for Market Regulation.

Green design, also known as ecodesign, is a design philosophy and methodology oriented toward sustainable development. It seeks to reduce or control resource consumption, and environmental impacts, across the entire product lifecycle starting from the initial design phase, according to the document.

Research shows that 80 percent of a product's lifecycle resource consumption and environmental impact are determined at the design stage.

In response to the evolving needs of green and low-carbon development both domestically and internationally, the guidelines promote industrial consensus on green design and outline 11 key priorities: long-life design, non-hazardous design, lightweight design, energy-saving design, water-saving design, material-saving design, noise-reduction design, space-saving design, easy recycling and regeneration design, reusable design, and zero-carbon design.

In addition, the document integrates these 11 priorities with real-world industrial applications. This is done through proposing 126 targeted solutions to guide product R&D personnel in applying green design concepts and methods to 15 key industries.

Under the guidelines, enterprises are encouraged to use 3D modeling, simulation and digital twin technologies to assess resource and energy consumption, as well as environmental impacts in key processes including manufacturing, usage and disassembly, while building product lifecycle databases and green design knowledge bases.

Going forward, the MIIT will work with relevant departments to develop green design solutions, advance the integration of "AI+Green Design," formulate related standards, promote representative green design products, expand training for green design professionals, and deepen international exchanges and cooperation.

These initiatives will help increase the supply of green products, stimulate green consumption, and strengthen the momentum for green development.