Food Compliance
Intelligence & Solutions
Home / News / Details

Carbon Neutrality in China: What Can Food Industry Do?

China's grand goal of carbon emission is bound to make tremendous impacts on all walks of life, especially the food industry. As a significant pillar of China's national economy, food industry is accompanied by high energy consumption and high emission. Against this background, what can food industry do to be carbon neutral?

The past decades have witnessed a striking uptrend of climate catastrophes hitting countries on this planet, which turned the spotlight on carbon neutrality, which means having a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon emissions from carbon sinks. Going carbon neutral has become a goal and a solution that no country can avoid. As the biggest developing country and also the biggest carbon emitter, China has taken a landmark step towards the right direction, pledging to hit the peak of carbon emissions by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060.1

The Role Food Industry Plays 

Although China's great aim is set with determination, given the reality that China is still accountable for around 28% of global emissions due to economic development1, the pathway to carbon neutrality is definitely full of challenges. Therefore, the grand goal of carbon emission is bound to make tremendous impacts on all walks of life, especially the food industry.

Food industry is not only a significant pillar of China's national economy, but an industry with high energy consumption and high emission. The global food system, including production, processing and distribution, is also a critical contributor to emissions, which is responsible for one-quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.2 Without the renovation and transformation to occur in food industry, it will not be possible for China to be carbon neutral. What is beyond doubt is that food industry is obliged to face more stringent regulatory supervision and bear more responsibilities in the future.

How to be carbon neutral in food industry? 

Food Development 

To reduce carbon footprint, for the food industry, one possible solution is to make endeavors from the source, that is, vigorously developing low-carbon foods by dint of scientific and technological innovation. Fortunately, this path has been widely acknowledged by the industry and a lot of food enterprises have embarked on the journey, which can be well exemplified by the booming of plant-based foods. Due to large greenhouse gas emissions from livestock farming, meat and dairy products are deemed as the main pushing hands for climate change. The emergence of plant-based products is indeed an important innovation to change the current situation. Despite challenges against the Chinese market, enterprises headed by food giants like Starbuck, McDonald's and Hidilao are jostling to launch plant-based foods. Going carbon neutral does put higher requirements for food industry, while generates new opportunities in the meantime. 

O1CN01FyiL4z1CYdV6S69sP_!!49170093.jpg

*Plant-based burgers from McDonald's 

Food Processing 

To peak the carbon emission and reach carbon neutrality, the production process needs to be optimized in order to realize low-carbon food manufacturing. Food processing is accompanied by high consumption of energy, such as water, heat and electricity. Nearly 50% of the total energy consumption of the food industry lies in the processing of raw materials. Under this background, "green manufacturing" was proposed and promoted in China. Back in 2015, China unveiled the "Made in China 2025" strategy, which highlights green manufacturing as the basic principle in all manufacturing industries, and advocates factories to use clean energy and enhance utilizing efficiency. In addition, the factory that practices green manufacturing will be certified as "green factory" after competent authority's evaluation , and will be rewarded with benefits, e.g, policy favors. Notably, food giants Coca Cola, Mengniu and Yili all have passed the evaluation and certified as "green factory".3

Food Packaging and Container 

Effective management of food packaging is another ingredient of making the goal achievable. China has also escalated it to the strategic level. Last year, China announced to strengthen plastic pollution control in business fields and specified the detailed timeline on plastic ban. Therefore, the use of non-degradable disposable plastic straws in the foodservice industry has been banned nationwide in the end of 2020. Other non-degradable disposable plastic tableware will be gradually restricted by 2025. Meanwhile, China rolled out the "Chinese Carbon Label Evaluation Service Information Platform" to encourage manufacturing industries to apply carbon labeling.4 Besides, lately China updated the regulatory supervision on product packaging by the release of a new GB standard for restricting excessive package of foods and cosmetics. (Check ChemLinked News for more details). All these moves signaled China's determination to regulate food packaging for the sake of alleviating ecological burden, so as to accelerate the process of carbon neutrality in food industry. To its credit, dairy giants like Yili and Guangming as industry pioneers have been committed to use more recyclable and degradable materials in the packaging of their products, and this tendency is certain to continue.5

src=http___p6.itc.cn_q_70_images01_20210507_c6bad0fbc02741a0975c74f02f449f04.png&refer=http___p6.itc.jpg*The logo of carbon label in China. 

Food Distribution 

Even after foods leave the factory for sale, food enterprises should never underestimate to what degree their efforts on the follow-up distribution can make a difference to carbon emission. Enterprises may find ways to lower the product loss during distributions by applying systematic management of areas like logistics and transportation. In April of 2021, China enacted the "Anti-Food Waste Law" to foster a resource-conserving and environmentally-friendly society, which needs the cooperation and participation of food enterprises as well. As revealed by the law, food manufacturers and traders shall take measures to improve food storage, transportation and processing conditions, preventing food deterioration and reducing losses during storage and transportation. Besides, the law pointed out that the shelf life of food shall be scientifically and reasonably set, clearly marked and easy to read, so that consumers can receive an explicit and unambiguous message to avoid unnecessary wastes.

We provide full-scale global food market entry services (including product registration, ingredient review, regulatory consultation, customized training, market research, branding strategy). Please contact us to discuss how we can help you by food@chemlinked.com
Copyright: unless otherwise stated all contents of this website are ©2024 - REACH24H Consulting Group - All Rights Reserved - For permission to use any content on this site, please contact cleditor@chemlinked.com