One carton of milk and industrial carbon neutral efforts behind

HOHHOT, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- In Hohhot, the "dairy breeding capital of China," in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, a typical day of low-carbon living begins with a single box of "carbon neutral" milk.

Today, the novel "zero-carbon" concept is permeating every facet of the country's existence. From zero-carbon travel and weddings to zero-carbon food, this green trend is rapidly gaining popularity in China.

Located on the western outskirts of Hohhot, Chilechuan ecological wisdom ranch is one of the production plants of Yili Group, a leading domestic dairy company. This source of milk, which owns 12,000 cows, has the capacity of producing 180 tonnes of fresh milk per day.

Animal husbandry is a big carbon emitter. Data show that a cow can emit up to 500 liters of methane every day, and the greenhouse effect of methane is dozens or hundreds of times that of carbon dioxide. It has become a common challenge for major dairy companies around the world to make efforts to achieve carbon neutrality in animal husbandry.

"More than a decade ago, Yili began to conduct a carbon inventory of the industrial chain. From the perspective of the carbon footprint of the entire life cycle of the product, the carbon emissions in the front-end production process like upstream pastures accounted for 80 to 90 percent of the total," said Meng Yi, director of low-carbon development management at Yili Group.

In this regard, Yili has implemented initiatives such as building green low-carbon pastures, refining dairy farming, and establishing a cooperative carbon reduction platform in the industrial chain to promote front-end carbon emission reduction, Meng said.

"Carbon neutralizing" a cow is a challenge that Chilechuan ecological wisdom ranch has tackled through various methods. They have adjusted the dietary structure of their cattle, fed them probiotics, and even used genetic screening to breed "low-carbon cattle" in an effort to reduce the greenhouse gases produced by cow burps and farts.

Additionally, the ranch has implemented a green and low-carbon operation system, including the installation of photovoltaic panels for green power generation, the conversion of cow manure into biogas for power generation, and the use of liquid fertilizer in the fields or as a "mattress" for the cattle.

"Zero-carbon" is not about no carbon dioxide emissions in the production process, but minimizing carbon emissions through various means, and offsetting those unavoidable carbon emissions by other means, such as implementing carbon sequestration projects like the natural vegetation planting, Meng explained.

"We have also adopted an integrated carbon reduction model, that is planting selected forage grass around the pasture cannot only fix carbon, but also reduce the greenhouse gases generated by cow intestinal fermentation," said Meng. "And at the same time turn cow manure into natural feed forage, so that planting and aquaculture can feed each other and increase production and reduce carbon."

By the end of 2023, Yili's integrated carbon reduction model of cultivation and breeding covered more than 300 cooperative ranches.

"Yili currently has five products on the market that are considered 'zero-carbon.' For instance, this carton of milk in my hand can neutralize approximately 7.7 kg of carbon emissions, equivalent to the amount of carbon absorbed by a tree in one year," Meng displayed their products in a workshop.

Li Jie, a local resident shopping at Yili's health valley industrial scenic area, was amazed by the variety of zero-carbon milk powder, yogurt, and other dairy products on the shelves.

"I never thought the concept of 'zero carbon' could be so relevant to our daily lives. By purchasing and consuming these products, we can actually contribute to low-carbon environmental protection, and I am more than willing to pay for it," Li exclaimed.

Meng said: "Consumers are both beneficiaries and enablers of carbon neutrality." Yili has been advocating for consumers to practice packaging classification and recycling. It has also launched environmental protection activities such as zero-aluminum-foil and zero-ink packaging.

Yili also encourages consumers to recycle and exchange milk empty boxes, leading the way in low-carbon consumption trends. The company has vowed to achieve carbon neutrality in its whole industrial chain by 2050.