An exhibitor displays a tree installation at the 5th CIIE to showcase the low-carbon theme.Photo: Zhao Juecheng/GT

After "low-carbon" became a keyword at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) last year, foreign companies have rushed to the 5th CIIE this year to showcase their latest technologies, solutions and ideas on environmental protection and carbon emissions reduction, which has become a rapidly growing industry in China.  

At the 5th CIIE exhibition halls, the Global Times saw numerous elements of environmental protection and carbon emissions reduction, from the ubiquitous "green" theme color at companies' stands, the installations that show companies' environmental awareness like a tree displayed at Schneider Electric's booth, to dazzling low-carbon exhibits ranging from new-energy vehicles to milk package boxes. 

"Low-carbon" was one of the most-used phrases when executives of CIIE exhibitors were interviewed by the Global Times, as overseas companies made environmental protection a new direction of their development in China. 

"We believe that setting the dual carbon goals is an important engine to drive China's sustainable economic growth, and promote profound reforms in China's energy and industrial structures. To support low-carbon development with scientific innovation has become an industrial consensus," Xiao Song, president of Siemens China, told the Global Times on Thursday.

The company exhibited a vehicle powered by hydrogen called Mireo Plus H with a maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour, the vehicle can reduce carbon dioxide by 45,000 tons over 30 years compared with ordinary vehicles, the company disclosed. 

South Korean automaker Hyundai also displayed a truck fuelled by hydrogen batteries at the CIIE stage. The truck, which can transport products in a zero-carbon manner, drew widespread interest from visitors. Alongside the truck, the company also exhibited a model of a hydrogen battery factory in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, in which it has invested.

Wu Yanbing, head of the PR department of Hyundai, told the Global Times that the new factory is expected to produce 6,500 hydrogen battery systems each year, and it is the company's first hydrogen battery system factory outside of South Korea.

Wu also said that hydrogen infrastructure required by hydrogen fuel cells are being deployed in more and more cities in China.

Another interesting development at this year's CIIE is that many consumer goods and food companies also stressed their low-carbon efforts. McDonald's, for example, launched a "green food plate" at its restaurant at the CIIE. The plate is made of recycled plastic, the company told the Global Times.

US food giant Cargill brought a kind of compound 

buffering agent product for beef cattle, which can help reduce milk cows' carbon emissions by a large amount, according to media reports.

This year's CIIE also had a special exhibition area for low-carbon and environmental friendly technologies, as it did last year. The zone attracted more than 60 enterprises and had an exhibition area of more than 15,000 square meters, a report from yicai.com showed. 

Apart from companies, multiple countries also displayed green energy technologies at their booths. For example, the Denmark delegation set up a green theme pavilion for the first time at the 5th CIIE, with nine companies from Denmark exhibiting products in it.

Global Times