Recently, the first low-carbon evaluation technical specification standard for the dairy industry, "Technical Specification for Low-Carbon Evaluation of Dairy Enterprises" (Standard Number: T/FDSA 0063-2025), was officially released. It was co-authored by the Carbon Neutrality Research Institute of Peking University, the Certification and Accreditation Technical Research Center of the State Administration for Market Regulation, Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy (Group) Co., Ltd., Heilongjiang Feihe Dairy Co., Ltd., Shanghai Jinsinan Financial Research Institute, Feed Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, School of Food and Health of Beijing Technology and Business University, Junlebao Dairy Group Co., Ltd., and the Beijing Entrepreneurs Environmental Protection Foundation. The standard will be implemented starting from April 15, 2025. It is applicable to low-carbon evaluation activities of dairy enterprises and specifies the basic requirements, evaluation principles, evaluation procedures, evaluation methods, and evaluation reports for low-carbon evaluation of dairy enterprises.

The group standard "Technical Specifications for Low Carbon Evaluation of Dairy Enterprises" defines four major categories of indicators: management system, green energy, low carbon industrial chain, and emission reduction performance.

Sustainable packaging has a significant weight in the evaluation criteria. "Using no less than 5% biodegradable or no less than 40% recyclable packaging materials" is included as a specific indicator in the group standard of the "Technical Specification for Low Carbon Evaluation of Dairy Enterprises," which is part of the low carbon industry chain.

"Sustainable packaging is an important area that dairy companies have been exploring and practicing. Companies reduce the environmental impact of packaging materials by developing new packaging materials and optimizing packaging designs," said Xu Qinyi, a researcher at Peking University's Carbon Neutrality Research Institute.

Regarding the assessment of "sustainable packaging," Xin Bin, Vice President of SGS China, stated that SGS focuses on the selection of packaging materials, the rationality of packaging design, and the construction of packaging recycling systems. In terms of material selection, it examines whether companies prioritize using sustainable materials such as paper and biodegradable plastics, which have relatively less impact on the environment during production and disposal. In terms of packaging design, it evaluates whether simplification and lightweighting have been achieved, minimizing the use of packaging materials while ensuring the safe transportation and storage of products.

"In terms of packaging, there is a lot of room for adjustment in the future," said Gao Anping, General Manager of Sustainable Development at Mengniu. "Firstly, the cost-performance ratio is not ideal. Currently, we are trying the 4R1D sustainable packaging, but the cost of choosing biodegradable materials is three to five times that of traditional materials. Additionally, these materials have poorer barrier performance, which may lead to a shorter shelf life. For example, with the plant-based Dream Cap, although it has been recognized in the market, the cost of packaging per unit has increased by 30 cents. Therefore, we must gradually reduce this cost through continuous mass production and increasing sales."

Secondly, the recycling rate of packaging materials is extremely low. Domestic recycling data indicate that the recycling rate of packaging materials is less than 30%. The main reason for the low recycling rate is that the public generally does not understand the recycling value of packaging materials. The profit from recycling a packaging material ranges from 0.15 to 0.20 yuan. Currently, the recycling system is still not complete, mainly concentrated in large cities such as Shanghai and Hangzhou, while it is still difficult to implement in other cities.

Again, there are many industry barriers. The interests of various parties, such as users, manufacturers, and environmental protection departments, are difficult to coordinate. For example, the state prohibits the recycling and use of certain materials, but companies sometimes find it challenging to fully comply with these requirements. Therefore, there are many difficulties in the promotion process. Gao Anping believes that to achieve packaging sustainability in the future, integration is essential. Through a management platform, automated data generation should be realized, and data analysis should be used to identify discrepancies, while also finding a balance between investment and return. This needs to be achieved through big data analysis and empowerment.

"We advise enterprises to invest more in the research and procurement of sustainable packaging materials from a long-term development perspective. Collaborate with professional packaging design companies to optimize packaging design solutions, and actively coordinate with upstream and downstream enterprises to establish a comprehensive packaging recycling and utilization system. Together, we can promote the green transformation of the entire dairy industry chain in the packaging sector, better respond to the growing green consumption demands of consumers, and assist in the transformation of a green lifestyle for society as a whole," said Xin Bin.

Promoting the low-carbon transformation of the dairy industry relies on policy support. "We hope to leverage government supervision to ensure that established standards are effectively implemented. This will enable enterprises to compete fairly under unified standards. At the national level, support for the establishment of new standards should be provided, including policy subsidies and the establishment of funds. We also hope the government can open up some innovation platforms so that we can participate. Overall, I hope the government and enterprises can work together to achieve these goals across various dimensions," said Gao Anping.

The green low-carbon economy has become one of the guiding indicators for China's green development by 2025. This year's government work report once again emphasizes the importance of green low-carbon development, proposing to synergistically promote carbon reduction, pollution reduction, and green growth, accelerate the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, and clarify specific goals for green low-carbon development.

In recent years, China's dairy production level has significantly improved, and dairy consumption continues to grow rapidly, with the dairy product manufacturing industry developing steadily. The "China Dairy Quality Report (2024)" shows that in 2023, there were 654 dairy processing enterprises above the scale, with main business revenue of 462.09 billion yuan, and dairy product output reached 30.546 million tons.

At the same time, dairy production enterprises are also one of the main sources of carbon emissions in the agricultural food system. In 2024, the global average temperature is expected to exceed pre-industrial levels by 1.5 degrees Celsius for the first time. Global climate change is intensifying, and the food system accounts for about one-third of global emissions, with the dairy industry contributing a significant proportion of greenhouse gas emissions. The green and low-carbon transformation of the dairy industry has become a trend.