On March 1, the workers of the middle bar line of the Shigang rolling mill were tracking the production of high-end steel grades that day. Courtesy of Gao Yifang
【Reading Tips】
On March 13, Hebei Guangxiang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. obtained the first product carbon footprint certification certificate in Cangzhou City.
Incredibly, the acquisition of this certificate is inseparable from the technical services of HBIS Digital Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "HBIS Digital"), a subsidiary of HBIS Group.
Why would a company with a steel enterprise background provide carbon footprint certification services for a pharmaceutical company, and how do you view the deep meaning behind this product carbon footprint certification certificate brought about by cross-industry cooperation?
With such questions, the reporter searched for the "footprint" of this product carbon footprint certification certificate, and also took this opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the carbon footprint certification that has attracted much attention.
A cross-industry "encounter" that hates to meet late
"There are more than 100 participating companies, and we are the first to contact HBIS Digital at the first time after the meeting, and we chatted for more than half an hour. ”
On April 2, Hebei Guangxiang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Guangxiang Pharmaceutical"), mentioned the first "encounter" with HBIS Digital, and Zhang Zhanyuan, the general manager, bluntly said that "we hate to see each other late".
The "meeting" Zhang Zhanyuan is talking about is the business training meeting on promoting carbon peak and carbon neutrality organized by the Cangzhou Municipal Government at the end of December 2023. At the meeting, HBIS Digital, a subsidiary of HBIS Group, as the builder of Hebei Province's carbon peak and carbon neutrality public service center, gave detailed answers to the participating enterprises on carbon emission accounting, carbon asset management, product carbon footprint reporting and certification, etc.
As a company with a background in steel enterprises, why did HBIS Digital get involved in product carbon footprint services?
"China has proposed that carbon dioxide emissions should peak before 2030 and strive to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. The carbon emissions of the steel industry account for 16% of the country's total emissions, and it is one of the main battlefields for carbon peak and carbon neutrality in the industrial sector. ”
Miao Haitao, executive deputy general manager of HBIS Digital Green and Low-Carbon Division, introduced that in April 2022, HBIS took the lead in the industry to launch the WisCarbon carbon neutral digital platform, and is committed to becoming a leader in industrial carbon neutral digital solutions.
One of the main functions of the platform is to carry out product carbon footprint accounting and assist companies in completing independent third-party certification.
Just as walking on the beach leaves footprints, every industrial product from birth to death also produces greenhouse gas emissions. Product carbon footprint is a measure of the sum of greenhouse gas emissions at all stages of a product's life cycle, that is, the sum of various greenhouse gas emissions from raw material extraction, product production (or service provision), distribution, use to final disposal/recycling.
"Whether it is a national strategic need or a gradually strengthening international carbon constraint, it is required to accelerate the pace of product carbon emission accounting. ”
Miao Haitao introduced that in October 2023, the world's first "carbon tariff", the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), will start trial operation. Since then, the first six industry-related products to be included in the EU's CBAM will be required to provide carbon emission data when exporting to EU countries. With the official implementation of the CBAM in 2026, the carbon emissions of products exported to the EU will be directly linked to the "carbon tariff" to be paid. Products that do not meet the standards will face high tariffs.
Steel is one of the first six related industries to be included in the mechanism.
"HBIS Digital WisCarbon Carbon Neutral Digital Platform is the first platform in the domestic steel field to pass the international authoritative third-party compliance certification. Miao Haitao introduced that up to now, in just two years, the platform has produced a total of 26 carbon footprint reports and 11 product carbon footprint certifications for the group's downstream customers, covering Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Great Wall, Bosch, Volvo and many other downstream key customers.
"Together with the seventeen or eighteen carbon footprint reports that we're doing, the total is close to 40. Miao Haitao added.
However, these services are all steel enterprises and downstream enterprises, if they jump out of the steel circle, especially for those industries that have not yet been included in the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism, can they arouse the attention of enterprises to carbon reduction?
The training meeting on promoting carbon peak and carbon neutrality business organized by the Cangzhou Municipal Government was the first time that HBIS Digital promoted carbon footprint-related services.
But Guangxiang Pharmaceutical brought a surprise to Miao Haitao.
On the day of the meeting, HBIS Digital was invited to visit the factory on the second day, and the two sides officially signed a contract on the third day...... Guangxiang Pharmaceutical's response speed surprised Miao Haitao.
However, Guangxiang Pharmaceutical's move was not a whim.
Guangxiang Pharmaceutical is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shijiazhuang No.4 Pharmaceutical Group. At present, the company has 31 kinds of raw materials, and its flagship product caffeine is mainly used in pharmaceuticals and food and beverages, and is popular in the European and American markets, and more than 90% of its products are exported overseas.
"Starting from the second half of 2023, as long as we participate in the international investment conference, our European and American buyers will have to raise carbon reduction targets almost every time. As an upstream raw material enterprise, we have the obligation to cooperate with customers to complete the task of saving and reducing together. ”
Zhang Zhanyuan said that although the pharmaceutical industry has not yet been included in the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism, the customer's requirements have made Guangxiang Pharmaceutical feel "a mountain rain is coming".
"There are only three caffeine production enterprises with an annual output of more than 10,000 tons in the world, and we are one of them. Zhang Zhanyuan said that this requires Guangxiang Pharmaceutical to have obvious shortcomings because of "carbon" in the head competition. Because of this, Zhang Zhanyuan began to pay attention to the international environment's requirements for enterprises and products in terms of low-carbon more than half a year ago, until he met HBIS Digital.
"A green supply chain system with carbon footprint as the core is already emerging, and whoever can't keep up with the pace of carbon reduction may be eliminated by the original supply chain. In Miao Haitao's view, it is the general trend for customers and the market to force enterprises to disclose product carbon information and achieve coordinated carbon reduction in the industrial chain. "This is the fundamental reason for the cooperation between HBIS Digital and Guangxiang Pharmaceutical, and it is also the key to the attention of product carbon footprint accounting and certification. Miao Haitao said.
A thorough "medical check-up"
In March 2022, an internationally renowned auto parts manufacturer took the initiative to contact HBIS Shigang Company after conducting a round of inspection of the Asian steel market.
"What they are looking for is Shigang's state-of-the-art all-scrap short-process smelting process and the carbon reduction ability of the final high-end products. Yan Feng, a third-level expert at the Shigang sales center, said that before that, the manufacturer had set and publicly disclosed carbon neutrality goals, which involved promoting the calculation and disclosure of carbon footprint data by suppliers.
For this purpose, the manufacturer specifically requested third-party certification and appointed a carbon footprint certification body.
Miao Haitao introduced that at present, in terms of carbon footprint certification, the "ISO14067: 2018 Greenhouse Gases - Product Carbon Footprint - Quantitative Requirements and Guidelines" issued by the International Organization for Standardization is a more commonly used product carbon footprint accounting standard in the world. However, as a guiding document, the guidelines do not specify the details of carbon footprint quantification, and different processing methods of each platform in terms of data processing and data distribution will lead to differences in carbon footprint accounting results.
To a certain extent, this also restricts the mutual recognition of carbon footprint certification results between platforms.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, HBIS Digital got in touch with TÜV SÜD, a professional certification body.
"TÜV SÜD is a certified body for GHG emissions and reduction standards by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and an EU-authorised GHG emissions auditor. Miao Haitao introduced.
In June 2023, the WisCarbon Carbon Neutral digital platform was awarded the GHG Management Software Product Conformity Certification by TÜV SÜD.
More than a month later, Shigang became the first batch of users of WisCarbon's carbon-neutral digital platform after it was certified, and obtained carbon footprint certification certificates for two products.
"This certification not only demonstrates the professionalism and accuracy of the greenhouse gas accounting and reporting model of HBIS Digital WisCarbon Carbon Neutral Digital Platform in the field of product carbon footprint accounting, analysis and management, but also promotes the international mutual recognition of HBIS carbon footprint accounting, and provides certification convenience for relevant enterprises to export their products to the EU. Miao Haitao said.
Carbon footprint is a full life cycle concept, covering the entire process of a product from raw materials, production, use and disposal. This process is also vividly summarized as "from the cradle to the grave".
"Don't look at the certification has only been done for more than a month, but it is by no means as simple as a walk-around formality. Hou Zilong, the first-level business director of Shigang's carbon management process, said that the product carbon footprint not only includes the product itself, but also the carbon emissions of its industrial chain and supply chain.
In the specific certification work, it is not only necessary to carefully collect relevant data such as energy consumption and material use in each production link, but also to clarify all carbon emission activities related to the product to ensure that nothing is missed.
"HBIS Digital certifies the carbon footprint of our products, and even takes into account the carbon emissions of the ladle castable. ”
Hou Zilong explained that the ladle castable is a ladle lining composed of a variety of refractory raw materials such as high alumina bauxite and silicon carbide, which can effectively protect the ladle and prolong the service life of the ladle.
"Castables are 'hidden' in the ladle and are not consumables that are used in large quantities, so they are easy to ignore. Even such details can be taken into account, Hou Zilong, a veteran employee who has worked in the steel mill for more than ten years, is very convinced of the certification results.
"We have steel genes, and we are the most familiar software and information technology service companies in the steel manufacturing process in various certification platforms in China. Miao Haitao said proudly.
But this time in Cangzhou, when I met a pharmaceutical company, can HBIS Digital's carbon footprint certification still be so smooth?
Miao's answer was equally convincing.
"Steel production has the characteristics of long processes and multiple processes, covering many physical and chemical production scenarios, and many processes are connected to chemical and pharmaceutical production scenarios. Miao Haitao explained that this makes the cooperation between HBIS Digital and Guangxiang Pharmaceutical, although it seems to be cross-industry on the surface, but the cooperation is very smooth.
It also took just over a month to find out the carbon footprint of caffeine products.
"We produce caffeine products, and there are thirteen or fourteen raw materials alone. Zhang Zhanyuan said that to do carbon footprint certification, it is necessary to understand how much each raw and auxiliary material is used, where it is bought, how much carbon is emitted in the production process of raw and auxiliary materials, how it is transported after purchase, and how much is the transportation distance...... The relevant data must be measured. "It even includes which terminal is used for export and how it is transported to the terminal. ”
In Zhang Zhanyuan's view, the most brain-consuming part of carbon footprint certification work has to be "emission accounting", "a production line will produce different products, and how many raw materials and how much energy a specific product uses must be converted according to the total consumption of each production line, and finally how much carbon is emitted according to the consumption." ”
"In just over a month, the product carbon footprint certification is tantamount to a comprehensive 'carbon' physical examination for the enterprise. Zhang Zhanyuan said.
A new "carbon" beginning
On April 2, workers were busy installing and commissioning a newly launched pressure steam boiler in Cangzhou Lingang Friendship Chemical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Friendship Chemical"), located in Cangzhou Lingang Economic and Technological Development Zone, only 5 minutes' drive from Guangxiang Pharmaceutical. When this boiler is put into operation at the end of April, Friendship Chemical will be fully self-sufficient in steam for production.
Youyi Chemical is a chemical enterprise mainly producing methylamine in the upstream of Guangxiang Pharmaceutical, and steam is the main power source for methylamine production. The purchase of steam to self-production will reduce the cost of 300,000 yuan per month for Friendship Chemical.
However, this new equipment, which cost more than 2 million yuan, is not only to save money for Friendship Chemical, but also to help Guangxiang Pharmaceutical "reduce carbon".
"Most of the purchased steam is coal-burned, and the plan to use natural gas for the boiler is much lower. Zhang Zhanyuan explained that the methylamine of Friendship Chemical is the main upstream raw material of Guangxiang Pharmaceutical, and the daily consumption is as high as thirty or forty tons. Therefore, the carbon emissions in the production of methylamine directly affect the product carbon footprint accounting results of Guangxiang Pharmaceutical.
Carbon footprint certification, so that Guangxiang Pharmaceutical, which was forced to reduce carbon by the downstream, also began to take the initiative to force its own upstream.
The purchase of methylamine steam from self-procurement is one of the carbon reduction breakthroughs found by Guangxiang Pharmaceutical in accordance with the product carbon footprint certification report.
Similar to our physical examination, carbon footprint certification is like a detailed "physical examination report", which not only allows enterprises to find out the "carbon background", but also helps enterprises explore the potential of emission reduction, and guides subsequent energy conservation and carbon reduction, production organization optimization, etc.
In this process, the efficiency of enterprises can be described as "immediate".
"Through the carbon footprint verification, we have re-analyzed and optimized the energy efficiency and energy-saving indicators of hydraulic transmission, realized the energy saving and high efficiency of the energy used in the production process, and further reduced the production cost. Hou Zilong introduced.
"Carbon reduction, in fact, is to reduce costs, and the two are highly consistent. In this regard, Hou Zilong was deeply touched.
Carbon footprint certification has also allowed Guangxiang Pharmaceutical to find a new opportunity.
From the replacement of energy-saving lamps, the change of employees to buses, to the adjustment of raw materials and product transportation routes, Zhang Zhanyuan has a lot of plans for the company's carbon reduction. Not satisfied with this, Guangxiang Pharmaceutical is also in extensive contact with professional emission reduction companies, "and strive to use three or four months to develop an operational emission reduction plan." ”
According to the "small goal" set by Guangxiang Pharmaceutical, by 2030, the carbon dioxide equivalent emitted by Guangxiang Pharmaceutical from the production of one ton of caffeine products should be reduced to less than 8 tons - in the eyes of the traditional medicine industry, this is simply an "impossible task".
Will the goal be set a little bit ahead?
In the face of reporters' questions, Zhang Zhanyuan was full of confidence, "There is no minimum carbon emission value, only lower." ”
Talking about Tesla's wealth from selling carbon emission credits, Zhang Zhanyuan hopes that one day, Guangxiang Pharmaceutical can also make carbon trading.
The successful "out of the circle" carbon footprint certification service also allowed HBIS Digital to discover a new business direction.
Carbon footprint report generation and certification, enterprise carbon data accounting, carbon tariff calculation, carbon reduction potential analysis...... Based on the WisCarbon carbon-neutral digital platform, HBIS Digital can provide more and more services and solve more and more problems for enterprises.
Among them, the development of low-carbon products is one of Miao Haitao's most optimistic.
"Carbon footprint certification, to put it bluntly, is an afterthought, and then we considered, why not implant the carbon footprint concept into the design in advance and work with downstream customers to develop low-carbon products?"
Miao Haitao positions this service as a "full-cycle eco-design expert", that is, in accordance with the concept of the whole life cycle, in the product design and development stage, the impact of raw material selection, production, sales, use, recycling, treatment and other links on resources and environment is systematically considered, and the eco-design concept is moved forward, and the product is strived to minimize resource and energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions in the whole life cycle.
Miao Haitao believes that such a concept will lead more industries to green and low-carbon transformation. (Hebei Daily reporter Zhou Congcong, Zhu Yanbing)
On November 6, 2023, on the production line of high-end silver and bright materials of Shigang, employees are lifting the silver and bright materials off the production line through the remote control of the handheld crane. Courtesy of Gao Yifang
■Reporter's testimonial
It's time to lay out your carbon footprint
Why did a subsidiary of a steel company and a pharmaceutical company hit it off because of the product carbon footprint certification?
With such questions, the reporter had an in-depth understanding of product carbon footprint certification in the interview, and also fully felt the enthusiasm of enterprises for product carbon footprint certification.
As Miao Haitao, executive deputy general manager of HBIS Digital Green and Low-Carbon Division, said, "The green supply chain system with carbon footprint as the core has emerged, and anyone who can't keep up with the pace of carbon reduction may be eliminated by the original supply chain." ”
More and more companies are making public climate and environmental commitments.
By 2030, the BMW Group will reduce the average life-cycle carbon emissions of a single vehicle by 40% compared to 2019, including the supply chain, production and use stages, and strive to achieve the goal of climate neutrality across the entire value chain by 2050.
New energy vehicle companies such as Polestar, BYD, Xpeng, Li and Tesla have also made public their green procurement commitments.
In the past one or two years, around the carbon reduction of products, all regions and industries and all links of the industrial chain are being laid out.
And the fact that companies are moving so intensively can only show one thing – the time has indeed come.
Not only product carbon footprint certification, but also from interviews in recent years, we can really feel the changes - carbon peak and carbon neutrality have become a problem that cannot be ignored in every industry from the concept of concretization into every production link and every field.
Even many companies that were originally forced to reduce carbon emissions by the downstream of the industrial chain have now changed from passive to active and actively promoted their own upstream carbon reduction.
Behind this role change, it reflects the new understanding of enterprises on carbon reduction, that is, low-emission products are becoming one of the competitive advantages of enterprises, and whoever starts early can win the initiative and open a new situation in the green transformation of the industry. (Text/Hebei Daily reporter Zhou Congcong)
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