In 2017, the Central SOE Rural Investment Fund invested in Jiangxi Fenglin and assisted it to expand business scopes and increase market share, and helped to create local jobs and increase the income of local farmers through development of forest industry. Jiangxi Fenglin needs about 800 to 1,000 workers for its forest planting, harvesting, transporting and turpentine processing businesses. Average annual income for each worker is 20,000 yuan RMB, which brings total annual income for the locals to 20 million yuan RMB. Jiangxi Fenglin each year spends more than 250 million yuan RMB on purchasing pine resin materials from the locals, which has effectively assisted the local people to get rid of poverty and earn more and has made active contribution to the local economic development.
Jiangxi Fenglin is also a pioneer in carbon sink business development in the forest industry. In 2003, it took the lead to launch the carbon sink forest plantation project which covers an area of 228,500 mu of land. In 2016, the carbon dioxide emission reduction certification of Jiangxi Fenglin Carbon Sink Project got the approval from the National Development and Reform Commission and it became the first large scale and commercial carbon sink project in the country. Term of the carbon sink project is 20 years between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2028. Total carbon reduction volume in the 20 years is equivalent to 4.85 million tons of CO2. Up to date, the project has sold 635,000 tons and earned nearly 9 million yuan RMB.
Development of forest carbon sink business is an important way to turn clear waters and green maintains into invaluable assets that can generate wealth, an important measure to realize the goal of carbon dioxide emission peak and carbon dioxide neutrality, and also an important means to explore and establish the mechanism of creating value from forest industry. Development of forest carbon sink business will benefit forest farmers economically, help them to get rich and assist rural revitalization.
Based on its rich experience gained from forest carbon sink business, Jiangxi Fenglin plans to participate in forest cooperation and development of the Belt and Road Initiative and South-South Cooperation before the year 2030. By then, Jiangxi Fenglin is expected to bring its forest carbon sink CCER and VCS products to over 10 million tons and help 2 million farmers, with each forest farmer having 100 mu of land.
Up to date, Jiangxi Fenglin has established broad industry chain cooperation with nine major carbon exchanges in the country and some domestic and international world top 500 companies including Shell, BP, China Eastern Airlines, Baowu Iron & Steel, and Yueyang Forest & Paper, etc.. In the future, SDIC Chuangyi will continue to support Jiangxi Fenglin in expansion and development of its carbon sink business and help the company to make even greater contributions to rural revitalization and the realization of carbon dioxide emission peak and carbon dioxide neutrality goal.