Carbon neutral by 2060.
China has set a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. This means that by this date, China aims to balance the amount of carbon dioxide emissions it produces with an equivalent amount of CO2 either removed from the atmosphere or offset through other means. This commitment was initially announced around the time of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2020, where Chinese President Xi Jinping also mentioned that China would aim to peak its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030.
Here are some key points based on the information available:
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Carbon Neutrality by 2060: China's long-term strategy involves reaching a state where its net carbon emissions are zero, which is crucial for global efforts to limit global warming in line with the Paris Agreement goals.
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Peak Emissions Before 2030: Before achieving net neutrality, China plans for its CO2 emissions to reach their highest point before 2030, after which they should decline.
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Efforts Towards Green Development: China is actively working on increasing its renewable energy capacity, improving energy efficiency, and implementing policies like carbon trading systems to help meet these goals. China's push towards becoming a leader in green technology and its significant investments in renewable energy sources like solar and wind power are part of this strategy.
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Challenges and Considerations: Despite these commitments, there are observations and discussions around the challenges involved, including the ongoing reliance on coal, the need for massive changes in energy infrastructure, and the economic implications of transitioning to a low-carbon economy.
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Global Impact and Perception: China's commitment has been viewed as a significant step in global climate politics, especially given its status as one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases. The move has been seen both as an environmental commitment and a geopolitical strategy, positioning China at the forefront of the global green technology market.
As it currently stands (2024):
Shenzhen’s Green Energy Transformation: Leading the Charge Towards Carbon Neutrality
As a manufacturing hub and one of China's most innovative cities, Shenzhen is not only known for its rapid growth but also for its forward-thinking approach to sustainability. In line with China's national goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, Shenzhen is making impressive strides to transition to greener, cleaner energy sources. Here’s a look at how the city is powering this transformation and why it matters for businesses choosing to source their products here.
A Shift Toward Clean Energy
In the past, Shenzhen’s power grid relied heavily on traditional energy sources like coal and oil, but today, the city is embracing a diverse mix of clean energy options. This shift is part of a larger national effort to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable development.
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West-East Power Transmission: A large portion of Shenzhen’s electricity now comes from clean hydropower generated in western China and transported to the city via the West-East Power Transmission project. This initiative not only helps optimize energy use across the country but also significantly cuts down on the use of coal and other fossil fuels.
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Local Green Energy: Shenzhen is also home to various local renewable energy projects, including solar and waste-to-energy plants. These plants turn everyday waste and sunlight into electricity, further reducing the city’s carbon footprint.
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Natural Gas and Nuclear: To support Shenzhen’s growing energy needs in a cleaner way, the city is increasingly using natural gas and nuclear power, which produce much lower emissions compared to coal and oil.
Sustainable Energy to Power Manufacturing
Shenzhen’s commitment to sustainable energy goes hand-in-hand with its thriving manufacturing sector. By sourcing power from cleaner, renewable sources, the city is not only reducing emissions but also providing reliable and eco-friendly electricity to its factories and industries. This is great news for businesses partnering with manufacturers in Shenzhen, as it means your products can be made with a lower environmental impact.
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Smart Grids and Energy Efficiency: The city is investing in smart grid technology, which makes energy use more efficient. This technology allows for better integration of renewable energy sources, reducing energy waste and ensuring a stable power supply to meet the demands of modern manufacturing.
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Innovative Projects: Shenzhen is also a pioneer in new energy projects like energy storage systems that help store excess power from renewable sources. This ensures a steady supply of green energy, even when solar or wind power production dips.
Leading by Example
Shenzhen’s efforts to transition to a low-carbon economy are part of a larger national goal set by China to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. As one of the most technologically advanced and forward-thinking cities in the country, Shenzhen is leading the charge with its bold moves toward green energy.
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Reducing Air Pollution: By cutting back on fossil fuels and increasing the use of renewables, Shenzhen has made significant progress in reducing air pollution. In 2020, the city had its best air quality in over 30 years, with almost no smog days recorded.
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Supporting the Global Supply Chain: When you choose to manufacture your products in Shenzhen, you're aligning with a city that is actively working to reduce its environmental impact. This not only helps lower the carbon footprint of your supply chain but also supports global sustainability goals.
Why Shenzhen’s Green Energy Push Benefits Threegon's clients
As a business, sourcing from Shenzhen means more than just tapping into a leading manufacturing hub—it means partnering with a city committed to sustainability and innovation. By choosing Shenzhen for your product manufacturing, you can feel confident that you're supporting cleaner energy use and contributing to a more sustainable future.
Shenzhen’s move towards carbon neutrality isn’t just a government initiative—it’s a strategic advantage for companies looking to reduce their environmental impact while still benefiting from world-class manufacturing capabilities. Your products can be made using energy that’s kinder to the planet, all while maintaining the high standards of production that Shenzhen is known for.
In short, Shenzhen’s green energy transformation is paving the way for a brighter, more sustainable future—and that’s something every business can be proud to be a part of.
THREEGON'S CONTRIBUTION
Our energy provider is the China Southern Power Grid (CSG). The electricity comes from renewable and non-renewable sources.
CSG prioritise the use of renewable energies, nuclear power and high-efficiency thermal power so as to reduce primary energy consumption and disturbance on the environment.
THREEGON's XJX facility utilizes rooftop solar that generates 30,000 - 35,000 kWh (month), that is sold back to CSG.
ISO 14064-1:2018 categorizes greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into five main scopes, aligned with the widely recognized GHG Protocol. These categories allow organizations to comprehensively account for all emissions related to their operations.
THREEGON's Audit Results were:
Category 1: Total Direct Greenhouse Gas Emission is 12.98 tonnes of CO2e in 2020;
Category 2: Total Energy Indirect Greenhouse Gas Emission is 158.82 tonnes of CO2e in 2020.
Category 4: Total Indirect GHG emissions from products used by an organization is 0.98 tonnes of CO2e in 2020.
Raw data from 2020 - 2023 here.
As a reference, the Taylor Swift Eras Tour has emitted 139 tons in CO2e emissions for 66,484 miles worth of travel for the North American and South American legs alone.
ELECTRIFICATION OF VEHICLE FLEET
THREEGON uses pure electric or hybrids in its vehicle fleet to help keep its emissions down. They include:
- Passenger vehicles
- Light Trucks (all electric)
- Forklifts
Explore the Latest Updates on China's Energy Policies
Sustainability by Design
We're committed to designing products with a lower carbon footprint. This means encouraging partners to use more recycled materials and reducing the energy consumption of our devices.
During the Design for Manufacturing (DFM) stage, we focus on finding packaging solutions that can withstand long-distance shipping while also offering recycling options at the destination. We believe that sending materials back across the globe doesn't help reduce carbon emissions or make sense financially.
We also consider the durability of materials. Using lower-quality recycled materials for long-lasting products in tough environments can lead to early failures, increasing waste and the need for replacements. This adds to the carbon footprint, negating the benefits of using recycled materials in the first place.
For single-use or less demanding applications, we explore alternatives like bio-plastics, sustainable additives, and locally recycled resins. The goal is to use these materials once their cost and performance match those of virgin materials—that's when true sustainability is achieved.
Read about Threegon's collaboration with SafetyNet in the quest to help reduce bycatch and overfishing and the destruction of the marine eco-system.