"Explore the implementation of a national green consumption point system, encourage local governments to establish a local green consumption point system based on actual conditions, and encourage green consumption by exchanging commodities and discounts."

  Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission and other seven ministries and bureaus jointly issued the "Implementation Plan for Promoting Green Consumption", and the green consumption point system was clearly proposed again.

Six years ago, the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments put forward for the first time in the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting Green Consumption" to "study and establish a green consumption point system".

  At the same time, the "Implementation Plan" also proposes to encourage various sales platforms to formulate consumption incentives for green and low-carbon products, and encourage green consumption through the issuance of green consumption coupons, green points, direct subsidies, price cuts and interest rate cuts.

Industry associations, platform companies, manufacturing companies, and distribution companies are encouraged to jointly launch green consumption action plans, and introduce more green and low-carbon products and green consumption scenarios.

Market entities are encouraged to recycle waste items through trade-in and mortgage payments.

  In the past six years, my country has clearly put forward the "dual carbon" goal, and the national carbon market has officially started to trade online.

With the gradual penetration of the concept of green consumption, today's green consumption points system also has a greater promotion motivation and experience base.

However, unified standards and applicable methodology are still being explored, and greater breakthroughs are expected.

Green consumption practice

  In 2017, after a series of scientific, systematic and quantitative research, the research group "China Carbon Emissions: Reaching the Peak as soon as possible", which was established by the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission and Tsinghua University, came to a conclusion: "Adjustment Consumer demand is the most important way to achieve low-carbon development in China.”

  According to a research report by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, carbon emissions from household consumption account for 53% of the total carbon emissions of the whole society.

Jiang Nanqing, secretary general of the Green Circulation and Inclusive Benefit Committee of China Environmental Protection Federation, told Yicai that changing consumer behavior is a long-term task, extending from the production of low-carbon products in enterprises to encouraging consumers to participate in behaviors in order to change the ultimate outcome of products. Where to go, throughout the product life cycle.

The establishment of a green consumption point system to increase attractiveness through a certain economic compensation mechanism has been carried out in Shenzhen, Chengdu and other cities.

  Just a week ago, the case of the government's carbon inclusive project "Luzhou 'Green Shoot Points'" was included in the Forbes 2022 Global Blockchain Top 50 list.

The project is supported by the blockchain open source technology provided by WeBank, and is operated and established by Beijing Green Puhui Network Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Green Puhui"). The application of blockchain technology enables the issuance and distribution of carbon emission reduction data, etc. The process is open and transparent. While realizing the effective link between individuals, enterprises, and government carbon ledgers, it promotes carbon neutrality on the consumer side by rewarding green environmental protection measures, and encourages local citizens to participate in carbon neutrality.

  Tao Lan, general manager of Green Puhui, told Yicai that the "Green Sprout Points" project allows every individual green behavior to be recorded, and scientifically quantifies the consumer's Every green act.

  Zhao Xiaoqiong, deputy director of the ecological environment of Luzhou City, told Yicai that since the "Green Sprout Points" project was launched in 2018, more than 60 local enterprises, 7 universities, and 5 social groups have been integrated to participate in the project, with 70,000+ registered users. Covering more than 500,000 audiences, more than 2,000 people are active every day, 8.44 million points have been redeemed, and a cumulative emission reduction of 37.2 tons.

In the past few years, Suzhou, Nanjing and other places are also connecting with them, trying to replicate relevant experience and models in the fields of green consumption points and consumer carbon reduction.

  Tao Lan said, for example, at the point exchange point for garbage classification in Shishifang Village, Xipu Town, Zhenhai District, Ningbo, Zhejiang, villagers can also go to exchange with "green passbooks" one after another.

According to the rules, any villager who has done a good job in garbage sorting or participated in volunteer services can add points in the "passbook", and accumulate a certain value, which can be used to exchange for vinegar, rice, soap and other daily necessities, as well as fitness equipment coupons, Services such as family doctor and health check-up.

  The latest example of green behavior is the ongoing carbon-inclusive project for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

As the project service provider, Tao Lan said that the practice of this project has achieved several results, including: through scientific and systematic investigation and research, an applicable green behavior carbon emission reduction quantification algorithm has been formed to ensure emission reduction data and carbon credit issuance. objective, scientific and evidence-based.

At the same time, a unified algorithm is used to quantify the carbon emission reduction behavior of users, so that users can clearly know the emission reduction contribution of their participation in the action.

This quantitative research result has been applied for the group bid.

  This is also the first time that carbon inclusiveness has been included in a large-scale event such as the Winter Olympics. It quantifies the actual contribution of such large-scale events in driving the whole people to participate in emission reduction, and also accumulates experience in guiding the whole people to participate in low-carbon life. The Olympics and Green Olympics have laid a scientific data foundation.

  In addition, the "Shenzhen Carbon Inclusive System Construction Work Plan" officially released and implemented in November 2021 proposes that Shenzhen will build a carbon inclusive system that enhances its ecological environment governance capabilities and builds a brand with a prominent, attractive, and sustainable operation. Explore incentive mechanisms such as reward points and other incentives to widely mobilize resources from all walks of life to participate in emission reduction activities, promote the formation of green and low-carbon production and lifestyles, and help achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.

  Shenzhen's "Plan" proposes that by 2021, the top-level design of the carbon inclusive system will be formed, the relevant institutional standards and methodological systems will be established, the carbon inclusive certified emission reduction trading mechanism will be improved, and the carbon inclusive business incentive mechanism will be established; by 2022 In 2019, build a unified platform for carbon inclusiveness, gradually realize the exchange of carbon credits and carbon inclusive emission reductions, as well as the transaction and income feedback of carbon inclusive carbon emission reductions in the carbon trading market, and initially establish a sound system and standardized management , a well-functioning carbon inclusive operation mechanism; by 2023, improve the carbon inclusive system, and basically form a carbon inclusive ecosystem with clear rules and procedures, rich application scenarios, perfect system platforms and sustainable business models.

Methodology remains a challenge

  In the exploration and practice in more and more places, the establishment and improvement of the green consumption point system still faces challenges.

  Jiang Nanqing said that the current green consumption practice is mainly concentrated in travel and other scenarios that do not require product intervention and only require consumer participation.

Such scenarios only need to be shared to improve resource efficiency, so the calculation of emission reductions is relatively mature.

However, when it comes to the emission reduction of green consumer products, the calculation method is more complicated, and a breakthrough in methodology has yet to be formed.

  At the same time, the current carbon inclusive demonstration projects in many places are mainly based on policy promotion, not established according to the methodology of the carbon market; points are more of a symbolic incentive mechanism, and because the calculation methods are not uniform, they cannot be Truly form a carbon inclusive market that can be used for trading.

  Jiang Nanqing believes that the carbon emission reductions of individual consumers are small and scattered. In the future, the emission reductions in the carbon inclusive market need to be opened up with the CCER (China Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction) trading mechanism, so that companies can purchase the emission reductions achieved by individual consumers. So that the value of individuals can be contributed to the enterprise and offset in the carbon market, thus forming a large enough incentive to change consumer behavior.

  The Implementation Plan for Promoting Green Consumption clarifies the main goals for promoting green consumption by 2025 and 2030.

By 2025, the concept of green consumption will be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, extravagance and waste will be effectively curbed, the market share of green and low-carbon products will increase significantly, significant results will be achieved in the green transformation of consumption in key areas, green consumption patterns will be widely implemented, and a green, low-carbon and circularly developed consumption system initially formed.

By 2030, green consumption patterns will become the conscious choice of the public, green and low-carbon products will become the mainstream of the market, a green and low-carbon development model of consumption in key areas will be basically formed, and the green consumption system, policy system, and institutional mechanisms will be basically sound.