The 14th Five-Year Plan sets 80% of new buildings in China to be green by 2025. Municipal authorities in Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen apply incentives and certification requirements for new projects, and international companies with operations in China require their real estate assets to align with their global ESG commitments. ICBC, Bank of China, and China Development Bank have issued over $200 billion in green bonds over the past three years, with EDGE-certified projects qualifying for priority access. In this context, EDGE is the bridge between international standards and the Chinese market.
Initial assessment: We analyze the project design and identify the measures needed to achieve EDGE's required 20% savings, calibrated for the project's climate zone in China.
Registration and modeling: We create the project file in the EDGE platform and calculate the efficiency score for the project's specific location, accounting for the climate of Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, or other Chinese cities.
Technical audit: An IFC-accredited auditor validates compliance with EDGE criteria before construction and upon project completion.
Certification issued: The project receives the official EDGE seal, enabling access to international green financing and positioning it as a certified sustainable building in the Chinese market.
They are complementary. MOHURD's 3-star system is the mandatory national standard. EDGE is the IFC's international certification that allows the project to demonstrate its performance to international financiers and occupants, and to qualify for international green bonds.
Projects with international occupants or financiers: offices for multinational companies, manufacturing plants exporting to ESG-demanding markets, international hotel chains, and logistics centers with global tenants.
Between 4 and 8 weeks from registration to the issuance of the design certificate. The final construction certification is issued once construction is complete.
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