Looking at the Green Transformation of a Better Life from the Perspective of "Clothing, Food, Housing, and Transportation" - On site Observation of Shanghai at the First Shanghai International Carbon Expo | Technology | A Better Life

Shanghai, June 14th, Xinhua News Agency (Xinhua) - From "Clothing, Food, Housing, and Transportation" to See the Green Transformation of a Better Life - On site Observation of the First Shanghai International Carbon Expo

Xinhua News Agency reporters Wang Moling, Zhou Rui, and Sang Tong

The first Shanghai International Carbon Neutrality Technology, Products and Achievements Expo was held from June 11th to 14th at the National Convention and Exhibition Center, bringing over a thousand types of technologies and products from nearly 600 domestic and foreign enterprises. These achievements with "green genes" are also subtly permeating into the daily life of "clothing, food, housing, and transportation".

The transformation of clothing and food: reducing carbon emissions and increasing footprint

Elastic yoga clothes, breathable and sweat wicking sports T-shirts, soft and skin friendly long sleeved bottoms... The various types of clothes on the booth of Kaisai Biology at the Carbon Expo are very eye-catching. These clothes may seem ordinary, but each one is full of low-carbon genes.

"You can touch and see this material, which is both soft and skin friendly, and feels cool. They are all made from biomass waste such as corn, straw, and tree branches as raw materials." said Gao Yue, Market Manager of Shanghai Kaisai Biotechnology Co., Ltd. "This is our bio based polyamide fiber product 'Talon' launched for the textile industry. Because the raw materials come from renewable plants, compared with ordinary petroleum based products, the carbon emissions of the same amount of bio based polyamide are greatly reduced."

Apparel made from bio-based polyamide fiber products displayed by Kaiser Bio at the Carbon Expo. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Moling

Unlike natural textile materials such as cotton, linen, and silk, bio based polyamide materials, after special synthetic biotechnology, have a finer and softer feel, are easier to absorb and remove in sports settings, and can even be made into elastic and wear-resistant yoga clothes. A clothing industry observer exclaimed, "The innovation of technology has provided a broader space for the green transformation of the clothing industry, which is both low-carbon and sustainable while maintaining the functionality of materials."

When subtracting petroleum based raw materials in the clothing industry, the food industry adds carbon footprint to the original products.

On the screen of the booth of Yuanjing Technology Group at the Carbon Expo, a case of "carbon neutral bubble water" attracted many people to stop and watch. "We use the LCA full lifecycle analysis methodology, combined with Ark supply chain carbon management and product LCA carbon accounting tools, to conduct carbon footprint analysis, tracking, and emission reduction on this white peach flavored carbonated water." The staff at the Vision Technology booth explained. The reporter can scan the "zero carbon green code" on the bottle to see the product's carbon footprint, carbon reduction, and carbon neutrality data.

Sun Jie, Chief Sustainable Development Officer of Vision Technology Group, said, "In recent years, we have increasingly felt that more and more consumer goods companies such as food are paying attention to energy conservation and carbon reduction, and are starting to think about how to make their products more green. This trend that drives the low-carbon transformation of the industry will become stronger in the future."

Better living and transportation: greener and more comfortable

"The pursuit of green and low-carbon daily life is not about living the 'old days' without air conditioning or cars, but still striving to achieve green and low-carbon while maintaining quality of life and comfortable experience." This is a viewpoint repeatedly heard by reporters at the Carbon Expo.

On the exhibition stand of BASF Group, a "zero carbon healthy and comfortable cabin" is a vivid interpretation of this viewpoint. It is understood that this project was jointly developed by BASF, Langlv Technology, and Langshi Holdings, and has been implemented at Langshi Changxing R&D Base. BASF provides low-carbon building materials with good insulation coefficient and sound insulation effect, while Langlv Technology and Langshi Holdings provide ultra-low energy passive building technology systems and renewable energy solutions for buildings.

A model of the "Zero Carbon Healthy and Comfortable Cabin" at the BASF booth at the Carbon Expo. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Moling

"With high-quality low-carbon materials and precise and intelligent energy management, the cabin not only achieves low-carbon energy conservation, but also creates a healthy and comfortable indoor environment of 'constant temperature, humidity, oxygen, cleanliness, stillness, and intelligence'." The booth staff explained, "Health, comfort, and low-carbon environmental protection go hand in hand, which is our goal of pursuing zero carbon buildings."

At the State Grid exhibition hall, the virtual cockpit of electric vehicles is crowded with people. The reporter observed that the biggest highlight of this simulated driving process is the scene of photovoltaic intelligent roads.

"The photovoltaic road is composed of semi transparent new materials and photovoltaic power generation modules. When a new energy vehicle is driven on it, it becomes a mobile solar power bank. In the future, in the context of vehicle road coordination and autonomous driving, new energy vehicles may be able to achieve 'contactless charging' during driving," said Yang Jiaxin, an on-site commentator at the State Grid Corporation of China exhibition hall.

According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in May this year, the production and sales of new energy vehicles in China reached 713000 and 717000 respectively, with year-on-year growth of 53% and 60.2%, respectively. In recent years, driven by the "dual carbon" goal, the domestic new energy vehicle market has shown an explosive growth trend. With the continuous improvement of charging infrastructure networks and technological innovation, "charging anxiety" may be resolved invisibly and comfortably.

Embrace the beautiful life of circular economy

The most eye-catching feature of the L'Oreal Group booth at the Carbon Expo is a huge lipstick art installation at the entrance. It is understood that the base of this device is composed of 6336 discarded L'Oreal lipsticks, which are assembled in a modular structure through reusable acrylic blocks. Circulation is undoubtedly one of the hottest keywords at the first Carbon Expo.

The reporter saw on site that in the process of economic and social transformation towards low-carbon and green, the links of clothing, food, housing, and transportation are not separated from each other. In various technologies and products that turn waste into treasure and make the most of things, the flow of material in life has become a "loop".

There is a display area in the exhibition hall for the utilization of food waste oil resources. Shanghai has made a breakthrough in the circular economy by preparing kitchen waste oil into B5 biodiesel, and connecting the industrial chain of food waste oil recovery, disposal, utilization, and sales. This not only solves the chronic problem of food safety, but also achieves energy conservation and environmental protection. It is understood that since Sinopec added the first batch of B5 biodiesel in Shanghai five years ago, more than 20000 diesel vehicles are currently using biodiesel every day.

Staff at Sinopec gas station are refueling vehicles with B5 biodiesel. Provided by the interviewed unit

Food can become both a source of power for vehicles and a raw material for clothing. On the Budweiser booth, two casual style leather jackets are made from the leftover wine lees after brewing, which are synthesized and cut into plant-based leather. The texture is soft and delicate, and can replace genuine leather and other artificial leather products. Interestingly, there is also a quick drying mountaineering pants made from cracked oil extracted from waste tires at the BASF booth, and the waste from transportation vehicles can also be transformed into clothing.

At the booth of Shanghai Urban Investment, using decoration waste as raw material, construction waste is "recycled" into "recycled bricks" through batching, mixing, shaping, maintenance, and stacking, returning to the construction field... "The smaller the circle of recycling, the closer it is to people's production and consumption, the lower the carbon footprint." Zhu Dajian, director of the Institute of Sustainable Development and Management at Tongji University, said, "Looking to the future, we want to achieve a true circular economy, and the goal is to develop towards zero waste and less waste."

A beautiful life cannot be separated from a beautiful home. Nowadays, various sectors of the economy and society are continuously promoting green and low-carbon development, and environmental quality is constantly improving. With continuous efforts and long-term achievements, green is becoming a moving foundation for a better life.