Event Roundup: The 28th Sino-European CSR Roundtable
The event hosted sustainability experts, industry association representatives, brands, and suppliers to discuss the latest regional policies, ideas, and practices for enhancing carbon reduction partnerships in supply chains. The forum attracted some 300,000 people online and offline.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Sino-European CSR Roundtable Forum. A special session was held before the opening of the 28th Forum, in which amfori and China Sustainability Tribune, as the co-organisers, exchanged certificates of appreciation and awarded certificates to the three supporting organisations - China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC), the CSR Committee of China Electronics Standardisation Association (CSR-CESA), and Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) in recognition of their support to the event in the past years.
In the opening remarks, Guo Xiuming, Executive Deputy Director of CSR-CESA and former Deputy Inspector of Policy and Law Department, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), recognised the efforts the organisers have made in the past decade and wished the forum continues to make positive impact to global sustainable development.
In her remarks, Linda Kromjong, amfori President, emphasised the importance of building partnerships to achieve sustainable development. She shed light on the latest amfori BEPI developments in China and how amfori is supporting its members to identify, mitigate and remediate potential risks related to environmental in their supply chains. Furthermore, companies should explore supply chain partnerships, as sustainable development should be considered from multiple perspectives, including economy and the well-being of people and the planet.
“Attention must also be paid to different chains and participants - brand owners, suppliers, producers, and manufacturers. All stakeholders must fulfil their own corporate social responsibilities to achieve sustainable development,” Linda added.
Shi Yichen, Chief Economist of China Green Index, and Senior Academic Adviser of the Green Finance Institute, Central University of Finance and Economics delivered a keynote speech highlighting the widespread recognition of the Paris Agreement by the international community and how the global climate change revolution is driving the trend towards low-carbon and decarbonisation.
Jonathan Salmon, Head of Sustainability of Li & Fung, shared the company’s progress in supply chain decarbonisation in his keynote speech, including the development of a greener supplier system and collaboration with suppliers and industry partners to promote ESG implementation.
Wen Rui, Deputy General Manager of State Grid Taicang Power Supply Company, and Jiang Yang, Sustainability Manager of Nike China, shared their supply chain decarbonisation project for Nike’s “wind and solar power integrated” to develop the first zero-carbon smart logistics park in China in which 100% of its electricity are generated by renewable energy.
During the panel discussion, Tracy Zhou, Associate Principal Consultant, Green Living and Innovation Division of HKPC, Sun Lirong, Researcher of CNTAC CSR Office, King Kong, Managing Director China of XD Connects), and Liu Wei, Senior Manager of Environment and Sustainability Department of Li-Ning Group, exchanged ideas on the challenges and countermeasures in building the carbon reduction partnership.
Tracy Zhou emphasised the importance of promoting green development through digital technologies and called for greater support for small and medium-sized enterprises in their efforts to achieve green transformation through innovation and technology.
Sun Lirong highlighted the “30·60 Net Zero Acceleration Plan” initiated by CNTAC, which aims to influence more stakeholders by partnering with 30 well-known brands and 60 core manufacturers.
King Kong, shared that XD Connects has experienced significant benefits by prioritising the reduction of carbon emissions in their ESG supply chain, including an increase in company valuation, easier access to financing, and a boost in sales.
Liu Wei shared that Li-Ning Group has incorporated sustainable and green development into its long-term strategy, assessing the carbon emissions within its supply chain and enabling suppliers to reduce their carbon footprint.
At the forum’s conclusion, Linda Kromjong, and Yu Zhihong, President and Editor-in-chief of China Sustainability Tribune, jointly unveiled a research report entitled Driving Green Development Through Empowering Supply Chains - An Insight Study of Sino-European Sustainable Supply Chain Practices from Past Sino-European CSR Roundtable Forums. The report reflects the accomplishments of the preceding roundtable forums, examining supply chain development in China and Europe and serving as a valuable resource for interested partners and parties.
Yu Zhihong reiterated that the Sino-European CSR Roundtable Forum is dedicated to establishing a specialised and practical platform for dialogue in the realm of corporate social responsibility between China and Europe. Its objective is to foster communication and collaboration between Chinese and European companies, thereby imparting knowledge and support to the advancement of global sustainable trade and corporate social responsibility initiatives in China and Europe.
Linda Kromjong ended by emphasising the importance of ESG information disclosure and due diligence management, while reliable data serves as the foundation for conducting non-financial factor verification. After all, it is only through collaborative efforts that reliable data can be retrieved and supply chains can become more sustainable.
Supporting Organisations:
- China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC)
- China Electronics Standardisation Association – CSR Committee (CESA – CSR)
- Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC)
The recording of the event can be viewed here in English and here in Chinese.
For more information on CSR Roundtables, you may read the event roundup of the 27th Sino-European CSR Roundtable Forum