Zero-carbon restaurant and zero-carbon wharf, the most radical ESG attempt of China enterprises ｜ first line
"The economic investment in the construction of new energy systems is not estimated to exceed tens of millions of yuan, but the benefits are multi-faceted and long-term."
Text/Ba Jiuling (WeChat WeChat official account: Wu Xiaobo Channel)
It is hard to imagine that there is such a restaurant in Beijing: there are eight stationary bicycles in the doorway and lobby, which can generate electricity by riding, and the electricity can be directly used for wireless charging of mobile phones; There are abundant green plants upstairs and downstairs, including two green plant walls, large rich trees, a row of potted plants, etc., full of green; Most building materials and equipment, from chairs to tiles and ceilings, from LED lamps to air conditioners and fresh air systems, are made of recycled materials, recyclable and energy-saving.
Source: minibus shooting
Walking into McDonald’s Beijing Shougang Park Store, you can find that there are four fixed bicycle places at the entrance and lobby, which are perfect places for rest and games. When riding, McDonald’s big LOGO can shine, and many people stop here to chat. Children and teenagers are usually attracted and try until the light fills the big LOGO. A female student talked to the minibus about her impression of the store and smiled and said, "Hi-tech!"
Source: minibus shooting
Facing the green plants all over the store and the introduction of the store low-carbon life everywhere-in the dining room on the second floor, the words and labels on the glass wall and wooden wall have detailed descriptions on the materials sources and energy-saving efficiency of rechargeable bicycles, dining room seats, ceilings, tiles, lighting systems, fresh air systems and air conditioning systems-it is easier for people working here to immerse themselves and relax, and a school tutor lamented this to the minibus.
From a distance, people are more likely to be attracted by the irregular appearance with edges and corners, which is obviously more open and larger than the design of ordinary stores. This is because it has more than 2000 square meters of photovoltaic panels on the top of the third floor. They are the source of green electricity in restaurants, supporting the annual electricity consumption of stores of 330,000 kWh.
The minibus recently investigated "Asia Pacific’s first zero-carbon restaurant"McDonald’s Beijing Shougang Park Store, which shows the radical measures for the development of catering enterprises in China to promote ESG under the macro goal.(According to the "Research Report on Low-carbon Action Guidelines for Catering Businesses": the average annual growth rate of carbon emissions in the catering industry from 2017 to 2021 is 13.9%, which is higher than the national average growth rate of carbon emissions of 6.04% in the same period),Original and imaginative.
*ESG: a new investment concept and enterprise evaluation standard, reflecting the environmental protection, social responsibility and corporate governance level of enterprises.
"Why is your ESG rating so bad?"
This is already the latest standard for A-share enterprises by picky investors.
According to media statistics, from 2021 to 2023, the number of questions and answers about ESG in the two online interactive platforms increased from 112 to 2,140, an increase of nearly 20 times.
Today, the total number of questions and answers for E-Interactive on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and Interactive on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange has reached:3810、2832。
Achieving peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 are the green development goals promised by China.
* peak carbon dioxide emissions: Emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide have peaked. Carbon neutrality: the net emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide is zero. Mainly through afforestation, development of new energy, energy saving and emission reduction, etc., the greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide are absorbed and offset, achieving relative "zero emission".
At the enterprise level, ESG (Environment, Society and Governance) has developed into an important assessment standard for enterprises. Listed companies generally disclose ESG development reports, and rating mechanisms at home and abroad have been formed. For example, the MSCI Action Report of Listed Companies in China (2022-2023) by morgan stanley capital international, an international authoritative index organization, shows that:Most A-share companies are not ideal, with B and C grades accounting for over 95%.
According to the most special green screen at the entrance of the lobby of McDonald’s Beijing Shougang Park Store, it shows the cumulative power generation, cumulative power consumption, current power generation, current power consumption and equivalent to the number of trees planted and tons of emission reduction. It can be seen that the current power generation is 677 degrees, while the current power consumption is only 374 degrees.
The cumulative power generation of McDonald’s Beijing Shougang Park Store is nearly 527,000 kWh, and the electricity consumption is slightly higher than the power generation of 555,000 kWh. This is due to the weak light intensity in spring, and the power generation is slightly higher than the electricity consumption in the whole year, which means achieving the goal of "zero carbon".
Source: minibus shooting, April 7
Therefore,McDonald’s Beijing Shougang Park Store has become the first catering project in the world to obtain LEED zero-carbon and zero-energy certification of international green building authority.. The most critical requirement of LEED zero-energy certification is that buildings can achieve energy self-sufficiency by using 100% clean energy in the site.
In addition to the above features and design, Yang Yajie, the manager of Beijing Shougang Park Store of McDonald’s, told minibus that this store is no different from other McDonald’s stores in terms of staff training, service standards, product categories and standards.
So, what are the costs and benefits? Look at the cost first. According to Liang Haijing, chief development officer of McDonald’s,In terms of fixed investment, this restaurant is about 2-3 times that of ordinary stores.
"Not only is it zero carbon, but the most important thing is that the building area is particularly large, with three floors and a huge terrace. All the photovoltaic panels on the facade are additional investments (the advantage is that there is no need to pay extra electricity bills, and the remaining electricity will be input to the national grid), and the cost will be much higher." Liang Haijing said. A large area of photovoltaic panels and a large building volume are the result of two sides, so it is not so difficult to support power generation.
In terms of the flow of people, the flow of people on weekdays is not too much. For example, when the minibus goes, it is the afternoon of the first day after the Qingming holiday, and the restaurant on the second floor is closed because the first floor is still not full. However, the manager of Yang Yajie told the minibus that the flow of people on weekends and holidays is 3-4 times that of usual, which supports the main flow of this store (including the fact that it is located in Shougang Park, a famous scenic spot and has become a special scenic spot, and many online celebrity and parents will come to punch in because of its "zero carbon" feature). Or because of this, there are 30 employees in this store, which is not too few.
Source: minibus shooting
As for the revenue, the manager of Yang Yajie revealed to the minibus: "It is in the upper-middle level in Beijing McDonald’s stores."
Undeniably, the western-style catering giants represented by McDonald’s often have a special and different mental and intellectual status in the history of urban consumption in China.
For example, on April 23, 1992, McDonald’s opened its first store in Beijing, Wangfujing Restaurant. As the largest single McDonald’s store in the world at that time, it was a symbol of fashionable and high-end catering, representing people’s imagination of the West in the early days of market economy, and even became one of the symbols of Beijing’s popular culture in the 1990s.
Even today, when the catering industry is developed, McDonald’s still enjoy the catering mentality of urban people gathering landmarks, hygiene and reliable taste.And can McDonald’s Beijing Shougang Park store, a unique store innovation, still seize the consumer mind of "zero carbon" restaurants or green restaurant landmarks?
Source: minibus shooting
It is also the first in the world. Compared with restaurants, another zero-carbon project investigated by minibus a few days ago-the eighth largest port in the world with a larger scale.The world’s first zero-carbon wharfThe intelligent container terminal in section C of northern Xinjiang of Tianjin Port is more impactful.
"The Safety Management Department specially entrusted Tianjin Academy of Environmental Sciences to conduct continuous monitoring.In the past three years, the whole ecological diversity near Bohai Bay has been greatly improved compared with the previous two years, and many previously unseen fish have appeared.This proves that the environment here is becoming more and more friendly. A related person in charge of Tianjin Port introduced the minibus.
Speaking of this, everyone present was very happy, as if countless dolphins were jumping and shining in Bohai Bay.
Why? It’s just that several large-scale fans have been installed on the busy large-scale port dock which is related to the lifeline of logistics.
Before Tianjin Port, there was no precedent in the world.
At first glance, the terminal at Section C of Beijiang Port Area is actually no different from the general automated terminal. The trucks carrying containers are unmanned, and the operation instructions are judged independently, so that the whole process of pulling goods, steering, speed control and charging can be automated independently. The bridge of container yard does not need to be operated by three shifts of workers on duty in the computer room 30 meters above the ground, but can be controlled by the remote keyboard sitting in the office.
The wharf features:There are several large-scale fans that are easy to see in mountains and grasslands, forming a unique landscape with the dock.; Ships working ashore no longer emit billowing black smoke and unbearable noise, and its diesel generator has stopped working. Instead, it is connected to the clean power supply provided by the dock.
Source: minibus shooting
During the investigation, the minibus also encountered the double "unfriendly" treatment of the four-level wind and the temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, but two large white fans emerged and turned in the distance, which made people feel spectacular comfort.
"They (other major ports in the world) mainly use energy efficiently and electrify their equipment. They are scattered and unsystematic." The staff at the dock said to the minibus.
It is reported that 13 large-scale wind turbines have been set up in Tianjin Port, and 24 large-scale wind turbines will be built by the end of the year, including some photovoltaic projects. At present, the total installed capacity of new energy is 68 MW, and the annual power generation is 150 million kWh. Except for the intelligent terminal in section C of Beijiang Port, which can completely use green electricity (85% of the power generated by two fans is enough for personal use), the overall power generation has accounted for 25% of the annual electricity consumption of Tianjin Port. By the end of the year, the power generation capacity will double to 300 million kWh, accounting for more than 50% of the annual electricity consumption of major electricity users in Tianjin Port.
Under such a trend, Tianjin Port willIt is not just a port, but a new power machine room or power company will be built, which has the ability to export green electricity.
The following can also prove that the imagination of Tianjin Port is not far away: due to the demonstration effect pioneered by Tianjin Port in the world, Zhoushan Port in Ningbo, the world’s largest port, has been fully replicated and caught up, and seven large-scale fans have been built. Qingdao Port, Beibu Gulf Port and Singapore Port, the fourth largest ports in the world, are also accelerating the landing wind power system. It is no exaggeration to see a global "green navigation corridor" in the future.
Zhoushan Port in Ningbo
Some people may be confused. When standing on the dock or port, it is easy to feel the roaring wind blowing on the sea. Why didn’t anyone think of developing wind power before?
Actually, it is not difficult to develop wind power, especially in China. China’s wind power equipment production accounts for more than half of the world’s total, and its industrial chain and technology are very mature. And among the top ten ports in the world, China accounts for seven. Port+wind power seems logical.
But when these two scenes that Chinese is most familiar with and good at are combined, many problems emerge. According to many interviewees of Tianjin Port Group:
◎ First, whether natural conditions such as wind and light are enough to develop green energy needs to be demonstrated.
◎ Second, the impact of site selection, port construction and operation area, surrounding civil construction, airport, military and road facilities also needs to be demonstrated one by one.
◎ Third, whether the site selection interferes with the flight path of birds or is influenced by birds needs to be studied.
◎ Fourth, the overall equipment related to docks and ports needs to be updated and iterated. For example, as far as possible, the purchase of fuel equipment is changed to the purchase of electrical equipment, such as unmanned charging trucks.
◎ Fifth, the construction of wind power system in the wharf is a new thing, which needs to be strictly examined and approved by the government at all levels.
“What is really difficult is the 0-1 process. No one has ever done this, and people are easy to worry about the impact on safety, environmental protection and production."One interviewee said.
Source: minibus shooting
In this process, the economic investment in the construction of new energy systems "It is estimated that it does not exceed tens of millions of yuan."(respondents), but the benefits are multi-faceted and long-term:
▶▷1. The overall investment of the intelligent terminal in Section C of Beijiang Port Area is 17% lower than that of the traditional automatic terminal.
▶▷2. Breaking the traditional impression of "high energy consumption and high pollution" will be attractive and appealing to other ports around the world, developed countries and regions that are more concerned about environmental protection issues to develop foreign port business and ship berthing operations. In particular, ships arriving in Hong Kong can use the terminal green electricity (free of charge in the past two years, and charge this year), and reduce black smoke pollution and noise hazards.
▶▷Third, it promotes people to live in harmony with the working environment and natural creatures.
Does ESG mean a quiet, far-reaching and profound change for enterprises and society?
Summing up the above two most pioneering ESG projects in China and combining with most other ESG projects, we can observe and find the common points as follows:
◎ One,The key is to develop and use new energy systems, including photovoltaic and wind energy, so as to partially or completely solve the source problem of clean energy.
Despite the rapid development of new energy in the world, according to the Report on the Development of Oil and Gas Industry at Home and Abroad in 2023, the global fossil energy consumption still accounts for 79.7% of the total primary energy consumption in 2023. According to the data of the National Bureau of Statistics, the proportion of fossil energy consumption in China in 2022 is 82.5%.
◎ Second, the electrification of equipment is the main starting point after solving the problem of new energy sources.
In this respect, the C-end-oriented scenes such as catering industry have a high degree of electrification, while the heavy industry scenes represented by ports and docks need to be completely transformed according to local conditions.
Source: minibus shooting
◎ Three, the popularization and application of energy-saving building materials, equipment and systems is a routine and continuous upgrading means.
This has been widely developed and applied in various regions, industries, office buildings and even residential houses, and the difference lies in the depth and breadth of application in different fields.
Of course, there are also problems worthy of attention and long-term concern.
For example,The problem of sustainable development.Whether it is McDonald’s zero-carbon restaurant (which opened in September, 2022) or Tianjin Port’s North Xinjiang Terminal C, new things have only been born for two or three years.
For example, the minibus has been to the third floor of McDonald’s Beijing Shougang Park Store, which is not open to the public, and explored 2,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels. According to a person in charge, it is often difficult to clean up under the cover of snow or dust, and more is natural snow melting or cleaning.
For another example,The problem of changing old projects.We might as well broaden our horizons. All the projects mentioned above are new projects. It is natural for new projects to focus on developing low-carbon and zero-carbon, which can promote cost reduction and efficiency increase in the long run and bear short-term cost pressure.
Wei Xu, Dean of China Institute of Building Environment and Energy, analyzed minibuses: from the perspective of residential cost, the construction cost per square meter of ultra-low energy consumption buildings is about 500 yuan more expensive than the existing mandatory national standards, and the construction cost per square meter of public buildings is about 1000 yuan more expensive than the existing mandatory national standards, and the gap will continue to narrow in the future.
However, the old buildings and wharves, which account for the vast majority, are the difficulties, and they are also the fundamental starting point to determine the future double-carbon or ESG appearance of China.
"Old and small" is one of them. Data show that there were 20 billion square meters of buildings before 2000, 20 billion square meters before 2010 and 25 billion square meters of buildings since 2010.
Wei Xu also said to the minibus: "It is not a problem that can be solved by a single real estate industry. It should be broken through at all levels, including the state, development and reform, finance, taxation and housing construction."
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment has estimated that to realize peak carbon dioxide emissions in 2030, it will need to invest 3.5 trillion yuan in the next 10 years. Another agency estimates that it will take 20 trillion yuan to achieve carbon neutrality.
Visiting McDonald’s and Tianjin Port is a novel and thought-provoking experience for minibuses. Fortunately, they have become the "online celebrity" phenomenon in the catering industry and the port industry, and also won the "double ring" of word-of-mouth and benefits.
Now there is only one "thunder on the ground" left in the old reform project.
Author | Limbo | accountabilityEdit | He mengfei
Editor | He mengfei | Source | VCG