Press Release

Together for Sustainability and China Automotive Carbon Digital Technology Center Partner to Advance Carbon Management Standardisation in the Automotive Industry

September 12, 2025, Tianjin – On September 11, Together for Sustainability (TfS), a leading global initiative dedicated to advancing sustainability practices in the chemical industry, officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China Automotive Carbon Digital Technology Center Co., Ltd. (CAC), a specialized subsidiary of the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC). The two parties will collaborate closely on standardising product carbon footprint (PCF) data, harmonising calculation methodologies, and enhancing supply chain data interoperability. Together, they aim to build a transparent and reliable carbon emissions data exchange system and empower the low-carbon transition of the automotive industry’s downstream chemical value chain.

As the first international organisation to launch the PCF Guideline for the global chemical industry, TfS has continuously updated the Guideline since its first release in 2022, with latest 3.0 version launched in 2025. This aims to provide more precise technical tools for the chemical industry and other sectors utilising chemical materials to meet global climate goals. CAC is dedicated to promoting the green transformation and low-carbon development of the automotive industry, focusing on technical services, digital technology services, and the research and development of carbon reduction technologies. This partnership will focus on three strategic dimensions: 1) enhancing the availability of carbon footprint data for chemical raw materials and establishing consistent cross-industry calculation guidelines; 2) developing a standardised data exchange methods for efficient supply chain carbon data; 3) exploring the applicability of the Guideline in the automotive industry to provide a universal solution for chemical material carbon footprint calculations.

Against the backdrop of this partnership, TfS and CAC will jointly explore application scenarios for the Guideline in the automotive industry; and evaluate the potentials for the Guideline to serve as an industry benchmark for calculating the carbon footprint of chemical products. CAC will promote the integration of the Guideline with the core needs of the automotive value chain, while adhering to the principle of technological neutrality. At the same time, TfS will leverage its global network to promote standards, supporting automotive OEMs and TIER suppliers in standardising their Scope 3 carbon emission management.
At the signing ceremony, Jason Guan, Chair in Duty of TfS China and Head of Raw Material Global Category Management Asia for BASF, stated: “As a key sector for global decarbonisation, standardised carbon footprint management in the chemical materials segment is strategically vital for the entire automotive value chain’s transformation. This partnership with CAC marks a critical step in extending the PCF Guideline’s cross-sector application to the automotive sector. We look forward to leveraging our complementary strengths to drive synergy in carbon footprint calculation rules and data interoperability, providing the automotive industry with reliable carbon management tools and accelerating collaborative innovation toward China’s ‘dual-carbon’ goals.”

Mingnan Zhao, Chief Engineer of CAC, remarked, “As the global automotive industry accelerates its transition towards electrification and intelligence, carbon management has become a core competitive factor in the value chain. The industry currently faces challenges such as fragmented cross-border supply chain data standards and outdated calculation methods that lag new material iterations. This partnership is both timely and strategic. We look forward to accelerating the alignment of China’s automotive industry with global chemical supply chain carbon management standards and driving decarbonisation value creation from raw materials to end products.”

According to plans for the partnership, both parties will jointly release an industry white-paper, conduct research, and share best-practice case studies to expand the global impact of their collaboration. TfS also plans to integrate best practices from its member companies to extend chemical industry carbon footprint standards to more industrial sectors, fostering low-carbon development across the entire value chain.

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About Together for Sustainability
Together for Sustainability (TfS) is a global, procurement-driven initiative created by chemical companies with the goal of assessing, auditing and improving the sustainability practices within their global supply chains. The programme is based on the UN Global Compact and Responsible Care® principles and has grown into a global organisation with regional representation in North and South America and Asia. www.tfs-initiative.com

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Sheena Yuan | APCO
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