Pudong leads Shanghai in race to zero-carbon future
Carbon-neutral industrial clusters are taking shape in Pudong as it leads Shanghai to race to a zero-carbon future.
To date, Pudong has witnessed the establishment of seven carbon-neutral spots, ranking first in Shanghai for the total number, it was revealed at the new area's first low-carbon industrial development meeting held on Wednesday.
Four are carbon-neutral factories, operated by Boehringer Ingelheim, Siemens Healthineers, United Automotive Electronic Systems and Schneider Electric.
The remaining three are two carbon-neutral parks: Bank of Shanghai's Zhangjiang Park and Liming Ecology Park; and one carbon-neutral data center: Shanghai Shuchang Data.
Pudong has seven carbon-neutral spots.
Of them, Boehringer Ingelheim's local factory in Zhangjiang is the first in the pharmaceutical industry in China to receive carbon neutrality validation from both TÜV Rheinland and the China Emissions Exchange.
Since 2014, the factory has spent nearly 7.5 million yuan (US$1.04 million) in cutting emissions, such as installing a solar energy system on the rooftop and using more recyclable packaging for logistics distribution. It has helped to save nearly 31 million yuan in costs, said Wang Yihua, director of technical operations.
"Compared with 2014, the emission of greenhouse gas was cut by roughly 12,000 tons in 2021. That's about the equivalent of planting 45,000 trees," he said, noting that transitioning to green energy is good for both the environment and the company.
At Wednesday's meeting, Pudong initiated the establishment of a low-carbon industrial center and an industrial alliance with an attempt to bring together local companies, scientific research institutes and other resources to push the development of its green blueprint.
Since 2016, Pudong has built 39 green factories, eight green supply chains and three green industrial parks.
China has pledged to peak its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.
