China will build a unified certification system for low-carbon products as part of efforts to boost consumption of environmentally friendly goods, said the country's top economic planner.

An independent third-party agency will assess the carbon footprint of products and services and grant low-carbon certificates to those that have met certain requirements, according to a document issued on March 21 by the National Development and Reform Commission.

The commission will then issue a catalogue of certified products and an identification mark will be printed on the products' packaging, the document said.

The certification scheme is being piloted in the provincial regions of Guangdong, Chongqing and Hubei.

By the end of 2015, China aims to lower its energy consumption per 10,000 yuan ($1,608) of GDP by 16 percent from 2010 and lower its carbon dioxide emissions per 10,000 yuan of GDP by 17 percent.