Cover News reporter Zhang Yuexi
In the wave of the &#34;dual carbon&#34; goals and global green transformation, the food and beverage industry is undergoing a profound paradigm revolution. As a traditional industry with high energy consumption and high emissions, packaging waste is a significant source of environmental pollution. However, pressure is being transformed into motivation—leading companies are turning sustainable development from a &#34;compliance burden&#34; into a &#34;competitive weapon&#34; through technological innovation and model reconstruction, providing diverse paradigms for sustainable transformation in the industry. On April 12, reporters focused on the practices of leading companies to see how the food and beverage industry is tackling the tough battle of green transformation and carbon reduction.
Production Transformation: Restructuring Energy and Resource Management with Technology
The China Alcoholic Drinks Association released the &#34;14th Five-Year Development Guidance for the Chinese Alcohol Industry&#34; (hereinafter referred to as the &#34;Guidance&#34;), which clearly states that the beer industry must fully transform towards green ecological development and for the first time establishes &#34;zero-carbon production areas&#34; and &#34;zero-carbon factories&#34; as construction goals.
Under the national &#34;3060&#34; dual carbon target call, leading companies are striving to build a net-zero emissions management system across the entire value chain. In terms of energy transformation and efficient resource utilization, Budweiser China has introduced the &#34;11244&#34; zero-carbon brewery management concept. With the goal of achieving net-zero emissions across the entire value chain by 2040, through digitalization and intelligence empowerment, 26 factories have completed the deployment of the IoT data collection platform, 13 factories have completed the deployment of the UMS system, and 9 factories have completed the testing and application of algorithm case models, with the average comprehensive energy consumption of related factories decreasing by more than 10%. On the technical side, industrial heat pump technology is applied to recover waste heat in processes such as saccharification and packaging, with an annual recovery and reuse amount exceeding 200,000 GJ; the Ziyang factory has replaced natural gas with green electric boilers, reducing carbon emissions by 7,000 tons annually, and has participated in electricity market trading through virtual power plants. In addition, Budweiser China promotes carbon footprint disclosure among 141 suppliers through the Supplier Empowerment Program (SSA), with 10 suppliers establishing photovoltaic projects, forming a &#34;carbon reduction alliance&#34; to drive collaborative carbon reduction across the industry chain.
<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://inews.gtimg.com/news_bt/OhPa4qSS-5_zefLbDXNUHpzT2AWCDH9NlBb7t5bRWYFTwAA/1000?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://inews.gtimg.com/news_bt/OhPa4qSS-5_zefLbDXNUHpzT2AWCDH9NlBb7t5bRWYFTwAA/1000"/>
In another approach, Dongpeng Beverage focuses on energy-saving and carbon reduction in the production process. The company insists on technology empowerment for carbon reduction, with energy-saving renovations of equipment and process upgrades to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. In 2024, the implementation of projects such as low-pressure air compressor heat recovery and medium-temperature wet method line optimization upgrades is expected to significantly improve thermal energy utilization efficiency and reduce steam consumption.
Experts point out that the application of intelligence and renewable energy in the production sector is becoming a common choice for food and beverage companies to break through energy consumption bottlenecks.
Packaging Revolution: Carbon Reduction Practices Driven by Circular Economy
Packaging is a key battlefield for carbon reduction in the food and beverage industry. Dongpeng Beverage focuses on lightweight packaging as the core of its low-carbon practices. By implementing packaging reduction actions, the company expects to reduce the use of more than 10,000 tons of PET raw materials and nearly 3,000 tons of PP raw materials annually. Currently, 48.48% of product categories have achieved packaging weight reduction
International giant Anheuser-Busch is also focusing on packaging innovation. In the packaging segment, BUD APAC has incorporated 58.3% recyclable materials into its glass bottles, while aluminum can packaging utilizes the &#34;Can-to-Can recycling system&#34; to achieve the same-level reuse of thousands of tons of waste aluminum cans. By the end of 2025, BUD APAC aims to have 61% of its packaging recyclable or primarily made from recycled materials. Budweiser China has not only acted earlier but also moved faster in carbon reduction: by the end of 2025, the carbon emission intensity for Scope 1, 2, and 3 has been reduced by 43%, with absolute emissions for Scope 1 and 2 significantly decreasing by 82% compared to the 2017 baseline year.
<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://inews.gtimg.com/news_bt/OnejlnIYDbmKdKC1c27ojq4mestN0LoybKcOlvAXkTv-IAA/641?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://inews.gtimg.com/news_bt/OnejlnIYDbmKdKC1c27ojq4mestN0LoybKcOlvAXkTv-IAA/641"/>
Industry insiders point out that these cases demonstrate that carbon reduction in packaging requires a balance of material innovation, recycling system construction, and consumer behavior guidance, with the circular economy model reshaping the industry value chain.
Industry Chain Collaboration and Future: Insights for Sustainable Transformation
The explorations of leading companies reveal that the green transformation of the food and beverage industry requires a three-pronged drive of &#34;technological breakthroughs + industry chain collaboration + business model innovation.&#34; Taking Budweiser China's practices as an example: it has built a carbon reduction ecosystem covering upstream and downstream through mechanisms such as Supplier Strategic Alliances (SSA) and Equipment Supplier Strategic Alliances (VSA). The Budweiser Snow Beer factory, officially built and put into operation in 2016, has constructed a distributed photovoltaic system with a total installed capacity of 17.7 megawatts on its rooftop, generating 18.93 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, which can reduce approximately 13,000 tons of carbon emissions each year.
To address the inevitable carbon dioxide produced during beer fermentation, it provides two approaches for the industry. One, represented by the Wuhan factory, involves washing with water, activated carbon adsorption, and secondary condensation purification to remove residual odor substances from the recovered carbon dioxide, ensuring it meets food-grade standards before being reinjected into the product. Since 2017, the Wuhan factory has reduced a total of 42,800 tons of greenhouse gases. The other approach is the &#34;cross-industry&#34; reuse of carbon dioxide: for instance, at Budweiser (Kunming) Brewery Co., Ltd., Budweiser stores the carbon dioxide generated during the beer fermentation process and transports it to a nearby flower factory.
However, the industry generally faces the real challenge of resource scarcity for small and medium-sized enterprises' transformation—data from the China Food Industry Association shows that over 60% of small and medium-sized food and beverage enterprises lack the technical and financial support for sustainable transformation, with high costs and long return periods for green renovations becoming major bottlenecks.
In this regard, industry insiders point out that a dual empowerment system of &#34;policy support + technology sharing platform&#34; needs to be established: the government can reduce initial investments for enterprises through policies such as green credit and carbon tax exemptions, while industry leaders can open up modular solutions such as AI control systems and recycled material technologies
Looking ahead, the sustainable competition in the food and beverage industry will present three major trends: First, the deep collaboration within the industry chain will evolve towards &#34;networked symbiosis,&#34; where companies will break through single supply chain cooperation, co-building distributed photovoltaic projects with new energy companies, and collaborating with the agricultural sector to promote regenerative agriculture, forming a resource recycling closed loop; Second, the reconstruction of consumer value will accelerate the &#34;carbon labeling&#34; of products, with Generation Z's willingness to pay a premium for low-carbon products exceeding 30%, forcing companies to develop &#34;carbon-neutral product lines&#34; with traceable carbon footprints and establish green premium brand recognition; Third, the synergy between policies and markets will create a &#34;dual-driven&#34; effect, making green competitiveness a key to corporate survival. Leading companies need to drive carbon reduction in the industry chain through technology output, helping the industry break through cost barriers.
From Budweiser China's energy revolution to Eastroc Beverage's packaging closed loop, from Coca-Cola's recycling network to Danone's innovation in bioplastics, food and beverage giants are reshaping the industry landscape with sustainable strategies. Industry insiders point out that this green breakthrough battle is not only a necessary response to policies and environmental demands but also a strategic move to seize future markets—when technological innovation breaks cost barriers and industry chain collaboration creates scale effects, the food and beverage industry will ultimately complete its transformation from &#34;resource consumers&#34; to &#34;green value creators.&#34;

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In the context of the global green transition, the food and beverage industry is undergoing profound changes. Leading companies are viewing sustainable development as a competitive advantage through technological innovation. The China Alcoholic Drinks Association has proposed the goal of a green ecological transition for the beer industry, with companies like Anheuser-Busch China and EASTROC BEVERAGE actively implementing zero-carbon management and energy-saving measures to promote net-zero emissions across the entire value chain. Experts point out that technological improvements and resource management at the production end are key to achieving sustainable development

腾讯新闻 - 财经

BUD APAC

EASTROC BEVERAGE

Anheuser-Busch InBev NV

First Trust NASDAQ Food & Beverage

China Merchants CSI Liquor Index Fund-A

Penghua CSI Alcoholic Drink ETF

China Merchants Guozheng Food and Beverage ETF

Tianhong CSI Food and Beverage ETF

ChinaAMC CSI Food & Beverage Sub-Industry ETF

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