Revelation of low-carbon development in the dairy industry: what else can we do besides planting trees
Participating in COP28 for the first time, Li Pengcheng's itinerary is very full. "In the face of the severe situation of global warming, how to effectively reduce carbon emissions and actively respond to climate change has become a topic that the global dairy industry must answer. ”
The 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) was held in Dubai on November 30. Addressing climate change requires not only the concerted efforts of governments to promote the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement, but also the exchange and interaction of green and low-carbon concepts. During the period, Li Pengcheng, CEO of Mengniu Group and Chairman of Mengniu Charity Foundation, brought a Chinese enterprise plan to deal with climate change: to cooperate with upstream and downstream to build a sustainable industrial chain and help the world move towards carbon neutrality.
Livestock farming, the upstream of the dairy industry, has long been a major contributor to climate change. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the total carbon dioxide emissions from livestock farming are 7.1 billion tonnes per year. China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the National Development and Reform Commission have also listed "animal husbandry emission reduction and carbon reduction" as a key task in the "Implementation Plan for Agricultural and Rural Carbon Reduction and Carbon Sequestration".
As one of the leading companies in China's dairy industry, Mengniu embarked on a "Scope 3" (indirect emissions related to operations and supply chain) carbon reduction to build a zero-carbon supply chain. Mengniu's Modern Dairy and China Shengmu have taken the lead in carrying out pasture carbon inventory and carbon reduction work, and Mengniu is also the first Chinese company to commit to achieving "zero deforestation" by 2030.
Reduce emissions by 180,000 tons a year
The carbon footprint of a glass of milk covers many links such as pasture planting, dairy farming, raw milk transportation, processing, milk filling, storage, transportation and sales. Therefore, in order to achieve low-carbon development of the dairy industry, it is necessary to start from all links of the whole industry chain.
Mengniu actively responded to the national "dual carbon" strategy, put forward the goal of "achieving carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050", formulated 15 key measures through six links, including production, raw milk, packaging, transportation, products and carbon offsetting, clarified the carbon reduction path, continued to promote green and low-carbon development in three stages, carried out systematic carbon reduction actions in all links of the entire industry chain, and actively responded to global climate change.
On December 1, at the "Dialogue on Sustainable Development of Well-known Chinese and Foreign Entrepreneurs" co-sponsored by the Publicity and Education Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and China News Network, Li Pengcheng further introduced that in the upstream pasture link, Mengniu has carried out emission reduction through five major measures: adjusting the structure of feed ingredients, managing and optimizing the structure of the herd, optimizing the manure management mode, improving energy efficiency, and complementing animal husbandry and photovoltaic power generation, and will reduce emissions by 180,000 tons in 2022 alone.
"Our animal husbandry company, China Shengmu, has also planted 97 million trees in Ulan Bu and the desert, greening more than 200 square kilometers of desert, creating the world's only desert organic milk source, which has been selected into the United Nations Global Compact's "Corporate Carbon Neutrality Roadmap". ”
Technological innovation is the only answer
According to the World Economic Forum, global demand for dairy products will grow by at least 55% by 2050. How to continuously reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the dairy industry while increasing production, Li Pengcheng believes that "scientific and technological innovation and digital intelligence technology are the only answers" to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.
Mengniu Qujing Factory - China's dairy industry's first international and domestic dual-certified zero-carbon factory
In the production process, Mengniu strives to minimize carbon emissions in every link, building 30 national green factories including Mengniu Jinhua Factory and Mengniu Shenyang Factory, and owning Mengniu Qujing Factory, the first international and domestic dual-certified zero-carbon factory in China's dairy industry.
Mengniu Ningxia Factory, the first fully intelligent chemical plant in the global dairy industry, was completed and put into operation this summer, achieving "three hundred" - 100 employees, 1 million tons of annual output, and 10 billion yuan of annual output value, greatly improving efficiency while reducing energy consumption by 43%.
In addition, Mengniu promises to achieve 100% environmentally friendly packaging research and development in technology by 2025, and strives to be the first in the industry to achieve low-carbon packaging covering the entire product line.
Every three-pointer you score is planting a tree in the desert
According to a study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the proportion of carbon emissions from the consumption side such as industrial processes and residents' lives has reached 53%. Starting from the consumption side, exploring carbon reduction paths has become a new industry vane.
Mengniu mobilized more consumers to join the wave of carbon reduction, and connected tree planting with major sports IPs and strategic partners such as China Aerospace to connect tree planting actions with surprise moments in sports and space exploration.
In September this year, Mengniu joined hands with the NBA to launch the "Mengniu Counting Trees" public welfare project, launching a one-minute shooting challenge at the event site, and for every three-pointer shot by participants, Mengniu planted a tree in Ulan Bu and the desert. The "Mengniu Counting Tree" project will also unite more sports event IPs to transform every goal in the field into trees. By 2030, Mengniu will work with partners to protect, restore and plant one trillion trees globally.
Li Pengcheng said, "2023 is the 20th anniversary of Mengniu's space cooperation with China, and starting from this year, Mengniu will plant 1,000 trees in Ulan Bu and the desert every time the national manned space program completes a launch mission!"
"As a leading enterprise in China's dairy industry, Mengniu has formulated the 'GREEN Sustainable Development Strategy' covering the entire industry chain with the sustainable development vision of 'protecting the common health of people and the earth'. Li Pengcheng emphasized.
Looking to the future, Mengniu has also put forward the goal of "green leadership", by 2030, all farms will be 100% green and recycling, and the carbon emission intensity will reach the best level in the industry, all its factories will be built into green factories to achieve "zero deforestation" in the entire industrial chain, and continue to increase "Scope 3" emission reduction efforts to protect the blue planet with upstream and downstream ecological partners.
