On 20 March, BETTER 1.0 seminar and the inauguration ceremony of the Low Carbon Health Digital Building Certification Alliance (BETTER Alliance) was held at the China Carbon Digital Lab in Beijing. The event aims to improve building performance in the whole life cycle from three dimensions: low carbon, health and digitalization. Better Alliance intends to build an open carbon factor database of the whole industrial chain from investment, production, construction, operation and maintenance to demolition stage, and to build a digital conformity assessment system, and to provide a digital testing platform and low-carbon and healthy digital solutions for financial institutions, property holders and related parties in the construction industry.

 

The event was hosted by China Carbon Lab (Beijing) Digital Technology Company Limited (hereinafter referred to as "China Carbon Digital Lab") and co-organized by JCC, IWBI and WELL Living Lab. More than 100 guests came to witness the official establishment of the BETTER Alliance.

 

Last October, in response to the strategies of "Beautiful China", "Healthy China 2030" and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, JCC, IWBI and Well Living Lab and other relevant industry organizations at home and abroad jointly released the Low Carbon Health Digital Standard BETTER 1.0, with "low carbon" and "health" as the core strategies and "digital" as the core engine. Under the guidance of the WELL Healthy Building Standard and the carbon emission calculation standards of various industries, the BETTER 1.0 system is a pioneering approach to explore the health and environmental benefits of enterprises and projects, thereby promoting the low-carbon, green and digital transformation of the entire industry chain of the construction industry and achieving high-quality development.

  

Lin Feng, Deputy Director of China Certification & Accreditation Institute (CCAI), has high expectations for the development of the BETTER 1.0 system and the BETTER Alliance, saying, "Low carbon, health and digitalization are important directions to promote the sustainable development of the construction industry. As a conformity assessment governance mechanism, certification and accreditation inspection and testing plays an important role in promoting industry innovation and facilitating industry chain integration. CCAI actively supports the China Carbon Digital Lab to initiate the establishment of the BETTER Alliance in collaboration with various units from government, industry, academia, research and application, as well as international first-class institutions, to take conformity assessment technology as a combination point, continuously innovate and move forward with courage, and promote the high-quality development of the BETTER Alliance."

  

Liang Hao, Director of the Green Building Development Division of the Technology and Industrialization Development Centre of the MHURD, presented the interpretation of green and healthy building to the initiative of building a good house that satisfies the people, "The future green building should be a building that the people can see and experience. Corresponding BETTER to ESG, the environmental aspect of low carbon is a major indicator; the social aspect of health is a major indicator; the governance aspect should be digitalized through the whole process, as well as in order to reflect its economy in all aspects."

  

Wan Li, Director of China Certification & Accreditation Institute (CCAI) and Chairman of China Carbon Digital Lab, introduced the BETTER Alliance from the perspective of the origin of BETTER, policy leadership, key special support and the main contents of the Alliance. The BETTER Alliance will promote the digitalization of the industry, help achieve the goal of 3060 Carbon Neutral, and realize the innovative development of the industry.

 

Dr. Wang Haishan, Chief Expert and Chairman of JCC, made a presentation on BETTER 1.0 standard system. Starting from the global warming and sustainable development agenda, Wang comprehensively considered the whole life cycle of the building and the whole industry chain of the construction industry through the three pillars of low carbon, health and digitalization. Wang advocates to create an open carbon factor library for the whole industry chain of the construction industry by means of NQI, and release the carbon calculator, which will lay the foundation for carbon trading pilot, carbon assets and green finance in the construction industry.

  

Yang Guangxing, member of the Party Committee of Hubei Carbon Emission Trading Centre and Executive Director of Hubei China Carbon Asset Management Co., Ltd, made a presentation on the pilot carbon trading market for the construction industry. Yang introduced the origin and development history of the carbon trading market in Hubei province, and emphasized that the construction industry, as a "major" carbon emitter, has the prerequisites to be a pilot carbon trading market, and that the corresponding carbon trading virtual disk pilot work will be carried out in some regions jointly with State Administration of Market Regulation.

 

Xue Ya, President of Delos & IWBI Asia, read out the initiative on behalf of the BETTER Alliance members and invited them to take a group photo.

A signing ceremony for the WELL China audit body of IWBI and JCC was also held at the conference, marking the organic combination of the international vision and localized practice of the WELL Healthy Building Standard, which will fully contribute to the flourishing development of the entire WELL industry chain. 

 

The Director of the Service Certification Division of the Certification Supervision and Management Department of the State Administration of Market Regulation, Mr. An Dong, expressed his guidance on BETTER 1.0 and the implementation of the BETTER Alliance and WELL China Audit Body, "The BETTER system is scientific in approach, significant and far-reaching, and will build a better future with better standards. JCC and IWBI signed a contract to become the first WELL China audit body, laying the foundation for development with compliance and taking a positive step forward in exploring high-level opening up and international cooperation in the field of conformity assessment. We hope both parties will promote the establishment of an internationally mutually recognized testing, monitoring and forecasting system related to the built environment and carbon, strengthen the capacity building of quality infrastructure in related fields, and facilitate the international trade of products and services in related fields. services, and facilitate international trade in related products and services."