The world's three new "Sustainable Lighthouse Factories" are all in China. What does it mean?
On October 8, the World Economic Forum released the latest list of "Lighthouse Factories" in the world. Among the 22 new manufacturing companies, 13 are in China, accounting for nearly 60%, a record high. Among them, three China factories have been rated as "lighthouses of sustainability." Through technology applications such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, as well as other process innovations, these companies have achieved indicators such as direct carbon emissions and indirect energy carbon emissions. More than 20%, leading the world.
"Lighthouse Factory" was jointly sponsored by the World Economic Forum and McKinsey Consulting in 2018. The selected companies need to have excellent production capacity, efficiency and sustainable development capabilities, and are regarded as the most advanced, intelligent and greenest factory representatives in the industry. As of now, the total number of "Lighthouse factories" in the world has increased to 172, covering 35 different industries in 31 countries. Among them, the number of factories in China has reached 74, ranking first in the world. Behind this achievement is my country's great importance and strong support for the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry, as well as the active exploration and practice of our enterprises in technological innovation, intelligent manufacturing and sustainable development.
Reviewing the list of "Lighthouse Factories" in recent years, we can find several characteristics: the number of Chinese enterprises is increasing, and their proportion in the world is increasing; the geographical distribution is becoming wider and wider, gradually expanding from eastern coastal cities to the central and western regions. For example, 5 of the 13 newly added "Lighthouse Factories" this time are located in the central and western regions; The types of industries covered are becoming more and more diverse, including traditional manufacturing industries such as equipment manufacturing, rail transit, coal mining, as well as high-tech industries such as pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, consumer electronics, nuclear power, etc.; there are more and more "sustainable lighthouses", and enterprises pay more attention to green and low-carbon development, strengthen scientific and technological innovation and strive to reduce carbon emissions.
These changes are actually the epitome of my country's accelerated development of new productive forces and reshaping new competitive advantages in the future. From "world factory" to "world laboratory", keywords such as digitalization, intelligence, and greening run through the whole process. In particular, the world is currently facing the severe challenge of climate change. As a major area of energy consumption and carbon emissions, the green and low-carbon transformation of manufacturing has become a key step in achieving global sustainable development. Countries around the world pay more attention to the green and low-carbon level of enterprises, which has been reflected in the formulation of international trade rules. Accelerating the promotion of carbon peak and carbon neutrality actions and accelerating the formation of greener and new productive forces have become inevitable requirements for Chinese enterprises to enhance their international competitiveness and achieve sustainable development.
More and more companies in my country have realized this. By increasing research and development and investment in green and low-carbon technologies, they have not only reduced production costs, but also increased the added value of products and enhanced green competitiveness. This is a good proof of this. The three new "Sustainable Lighthouse Factories" around the world are all located in China. Among them, Tsingtao Brewery will replace all coal-fired boilers with natural gas boilers in 2021, reducing coal use by 480,000 tons and reducing carbon emissions by 1.21 million tons; Industrial Fulian Shenzhen Guanlan Factory optimizes material recycling and tracks real-time carbon footprint and promotes process innovation to reduce carbon emissions by 66% and increase the content of recyclable materials to 55%-75%; Midea Washing Machine Hefei Factory actively built a product carbon footprint management platform, smart microgrid system and green logistics, which reduced carbon emissions by 62.4%. At the same time, 40% of the water was recycled and reduced waste generation by 22.1%.
Against the background of the global response to climate change and promoting the goal of "carbon neutrality", green competitiveness characterized by green and low-carbon levels is reshaping global industrial chains, supply chains and international trade rules. The development concepts, policies, measures, and technical means of "Lighthouse Factory", especially sustainable factories, not only set a benchmark for the transformation and upgrading of my country's manufacturing industry, but also provide useful reference and inspiration for the future development of the global manufacturing industry.
In the future, we must promote scientific and technological innovation with greater determination and intensity, support the research and development and promotion of green technologies in clean energy, energy conservation and emission reduction, resource recycling, etc., reduce carbon emissions in the production process of enterprises through technological innovation, and promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, promote the development of green industries such as new energy, energy conservation and environmental protection industries, and inject green momentum into economic and social development. At the same time, strengthen international exchanges and cooperation and learn from each otherXiLearn from advanced green technology and management experience to contribute more China wisdom and strength to promoting sustainable development of mankind and building a clean and beautiful world.
