Six Years on the Ground: How FTC Has Engaged With China's Environmental Shift

When French Touch Consulting was founded in 2018, the conversation around plastic pollution, over-consumption, and climate change was still, for many businesses, mostly theoretical. Our founder had spent years travelling across Asia and beyond, and the picture on the ground told a different story: polluted waters, overwhelmed recycling systems, and a level of global over-consumption that no longer looked sustainable in either emerging or developed markets.

From that observation, FTC built its strategy around three commitments: replacing plastic and low-value materials with genuinely sustainable alternatives, starting in the food and beverage sector we know best; focusing on innovative projects built around each client's unique needs rather than generic catalogue products; and partnering with factories investing in new energy and new technology. To stay credible on all three, we needed to be inside the conversation, not just observing it from a distance. Being based in South China, at the heart of the country's manufacturing base and its environmental policy shift, turned out to be exactly the right place to do that, even through the difficult years of Covid.

Over the past few years, FTC has taken part in a number of events that shaped how we think about sustainable sourcing. Here are four of them.

1. Environment Month, Guangzhou (2021)

FTC took part for the first time in the 8th edition of the Franco-Chinese Environment Month in South China, held in the presence of the French Consul and representatives from major groups including Danone, Huawei, Cooperl, and Pernod Ricard.

The sessions went well beyond general commitments. Several conferences focused on new water treatment technologies being deployed across South China, from industrial wastewater filtration to closed-loop water reuse systems designed to cut factory consumption significantly. Other panels covered the rise of production using recycled materials, particularly recycled fiber and recycled plastics reintegrated into industrial supply chains, and concrete plans by manufacturers to install solar panel infrastructure and shift toward renewable energy sourcing on factory rooftops. For FTC, this was an early and valuable window into how seriously South China's industrial base was starting to treat energy transition, well ahead of where the conversation stood in many other markets at the time.

2. Environment Month, Shenzhen (2023)

After FTC became coordinator of the CCIFC CSR working group, we took an active role in a conference in Shenzhen bringing together companies working on environmental issues. China Energy opened the session with the key points of China's 2026-2030 plan on carbon emission peaks, energy efficiency, and new energy vehicles.

Established groups including Veolia, Pernod Ricard, Procter & Gamble, Decathlon, and Total then shared the practical, day-to-day challenges of building environmental responsibility into ongoing business operations, and FTC contributed its own experience on this front, sourcing sustainable tableware and packaging for HORECA clients.

3. Feature Article in Connexions Magazine

In winter 2023, FTC was given a four-page feature in Connexions, the CCIFC's magazine. The article let us present concrete cases from our own work: the search for alternative materials in tableware and takeaway packaging, how we track CSR criteria for the European market, and how we prepare clients ahead of upcoming regulation on plastic replacement and traceability.

4. Innovation Day, Foshan (2024)

In autumn 2024, the French and German chambers of commerce organised a full day dedicated to innovation, including a visit to a new technology park focused on emerging industries. We had the opportunity to exchange with companies such as Papkot on the latest developments in packaging and coatings for the food industry.

What This Means for Our Clients

None of this is theoretical for FTC. Every conference, every exchange with groups like Veolia, Danone, or Decathlon, and every visit to a factory investing in solar power or recycled materials feeds directly into how we source, develop, and quality-check products for our clients. When a buyer works with FTC, they are not just accessing a network of 20+ audited factories. They are working with a team that has spent six years building relationships and expertise at the exact intersection of Chinese manufacturing and environmental regulation, staying ahead of the compliance curve so our clients don't have to.

If your business is looking to source sustainable tableware or kitchen equipment from China, and you want a partner who understands both the factory floor and the regulatory landscape, let's talk.