Jiangsu celebrated World Accreditation Day on June 9, a global initiative to promote the value of accreditation, with a launch ceremony in Nanjing, capital of the province.

In the ceremony, five Jiangsu-based companies including PLANCK and The First Farm became China’s first winners of agricultural products certificate for net-zero carbon emissions.

Agricultural production is the third largest emitter of carbon dioxide in China. Efforts to cut agricultural emissions include a restructuring of produces and replacing chemical fertilisers with organic compost. The accreditation scheme encourages the transformation to low energy consumption and reduced emissions. Such efforts are expected to contribute to the country’s goals to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

In February this year, the Jiangsu Provincial Market Supervision Bureau took the national lead in developing the food carbon accreditation program. The team has set up technical specifications for the evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions of agricultural products as well as accreditation rules.

The Freshippo store in Nanjing’s ITC Mall began offering 20 types of vegetables with net-zero carbon emission label starting from June 9, meaning such produces have achieved an overall balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and emissions taken out of the atmosphere.