ProTerra Standards | Summary of the 2025 China Progress and Corporate Practices Webinar

As a key tool connecting global sustainable production with supply-chain stakeholders, the ProTerra Standard is increasingly becoming a critical pathway for companies to achieve sustainability and compliance goals. Against this backdrop, the “ProTerra Standards 2025 China Progress and Corporate Practices Webinar” was successfully held online on December 10, 2025.

The webinar was organised by BellaTerra Consulting (Shanghai) and opened and moderated by Ms. Catherine Zhou, Business Development Director at BellaTerra Consulting.

From COP30 to EUDR: Sustainable Supply Chains Enter the “Action Phase”

With the successful conclusion of COP30 and the formal implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), an increasing number of stakeholders are taking concrete actions to build green, transparent, and responsible supply chains. These efforts reflect stronger governance and accountability in climate action, forest protection, environmental sustainability, and labor and community rights.

During the webinar, speakers shared insights and exchanged views on the latest progress of the ProTerra Standard in China, corporate implementation pathways, EUDR compliance requirements, and regenerative agriculture practices. The speakers included:

  • Mr. Zhan Han, Agriculture Director, BellaTerra Consulting
  • Ms. Ziyan Wang, Senior Manager, International Department, China Standard Conformity Assessment Co., Ltd. (CSCA)
  • Mr. Jianping Yan, Quality Manager, Ningbo Solbar Protein Technology Co., Ltd.

The session was moderated by Ms. Catherine Zhou, Business Development Director at BellaTerra Consulting.

Interpreting ProTerra’s China Progress and Implementation Pathways

Mr. Zhan Han, Agriculture Director at BellaTerra Consulting, provided a structured overview of ProTerra’s latest developments in China from three perspectives:

  • An introduction to the ProTerra Foundation and its standards framework
  • The application progress of ProTerra standards in China in 2025 and guidance on implementation pathways for applicants
  • The launch and practical significance of the ProTerra Regenerative Agriculture Module (ProTerra Regenera)

In his presentation, Mr. Han noted that ProTerra standards have completed benchmarking against the EUDR. Together, the Social Responsibility and Environmental Sustainability Standard (ProTerra V5) and the Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification Standard (ProTerra MRV) provide a comprehensive solution for food and feed supply chains that integrates deforestation-free compliance, traceability, non-GMO requirements, and continuous improvement.

The recently released ProTerra Regenerative Agriculture Module further focuses on soil health, biodiversity, and water resource protection, laying a strong foundation for companies to advance regenerative agriculture practices in the years ahead.

Audit Perspectives: Practical Experience and Common Challenges

Next, Ms. Ziyan Wang, Senior Manager at China Standard Conformity Assessment Co., Ltd., reviewed the progress of ProTerra certification activities in China in 2025 from a certification-body perspective.

Her presentation provided a clear and practical overview of:

  • Compliance performance against ProTerra standard requirements in 2025
  • Common non-conformities identified during audits
  • Key strengths and challenges faced by companies at different supply-chain levels

Ms. Wang emphasised that management system documentation and staff training and awareness remain critical areas for improvement as companies implement ProTerra standards. She also recommended enhancing application guidance, online training, and tool-based support to help stakeholders better understand and efficiently apply standard requirements.

Corporate Practice: Strengthening Sustainable Competitiveness through Certification

Mr. Jianping Yan, Quality Manager at Ningbo Solbar Protein Technology Co., Ltd., shared valuable corporate experience in building sustainable supply chains through ProTerra certification.

He systematically presented Solbar’s actions, investments, and outcomes across areas including traceable and sustainable sourcing, renewable energy adoption and carbon-reduction performance, and international recognition of non-GMO and sustainable supply chains.

He noted: “As the first company in China to obtain ProTerra certification, we have established a sustainability benchmark for ‘Made in China’ in the global plant-protein market.”

Using Standards as a Bridge to Advance Sustainable Supply Chains in China

During the interactive discussion session, speakers and participants exchanged views on standard implementation, audit experience, and future application support. There was broad consensus that further strengthening practical guidance and capacity-building activities would help more companies and supply-chain partners participate in and benefit from the ProTerra standards system.

The webinar concluded with pragmatic and inspiring discussions. 

The presentations from the webinar can be accessed [here] and [here].

We look forward to reconnecting at future ProTerra events and continuing to jointly advance sustainable and deforestation-free supply chains in China.