The 19th International CSR/ESG Forum successfully held

source:goldencsr date:2024-06-24 14:53:20

On June 14, 2024, the 19th International CSR/ESG Forum was held in Beijing. The "2024 GoldenBee CSR China Honor Roll" was released at the event, with 62 companies selected as GoldenBee Enterprises.

With the theme of “New Quality Productive Forces Driving Sustainable Development” and featured by the professionalism and internationalization, the Forum brought together governments, international organizations, scientific research institutes, company representatives, etc., to have in-depth discussion on how new quality productive forces help China's economic and social environment enhance quality, realize upgrade and contribute new growth drives to the global sustainable development.

The Forum was hosted by GoldenBee ThinkTank, co-hosted by CSR Europe and CBCC, supported by China Sustainability Tribune, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), China Association of Fragrance Flavour and Cosmetic Industries (CAFFCI) and the ESG Research Institute of Northwest University of Political Science and Law (NWUPL).

New trends

CSR thinking in the era of new quality productive forces

2024 is the year for fully implementing the guiding principles from the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and a critical year for achieving the objectives and tasks laid down in the 14th Five-Year Plan. There was a consensus among participants that new quality productive forces put forward new demands for CSR, and also brought new opportunities and new growth drives.

Yan Jiangying, Chairwoman of CAFFCI, shared in her speech that fragrance flavour and cosmetic enterprises shall be guided to enhance their ESG endeavors, practice sustainable development, cultivate new quality productive forces with technological innovation and comprehensively improve their product quality and service. It is the practical need for the fragrance flavour and cosmetic industry to enhance its competitiveness and stimulate its vitality, the only way to promote the high-quality and sustainable development of the industry, and an important epitome of higher quality and more efficient economic development in China as well as its better and upgraded governance efficiency.

Li Shaohua, Deputy Secretary-General of CAAM, mentioned in his welcoming address that the cultivation of new quality productive forces is the key to promote the sustainable development of the automobile industry. Under the background of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, the automobile industry should actively embrace cutting-edge technologies and facilitate more environmentally friendly, intelligent and safe automobile products.

With a new round of global regulations and guidelines related to social responsibility released and a new batch of regulations and policies related to social responsibility rolled out intensively in China, the top ten findings of GoldenBee CSR Index Report 2023, interpreted by Guan Zhusun, Co-President of GoldenBee Consulting, revealed that the CSR development in China is moving towards a new quality stage:

Finding 1

In 2023, the comprehensive CSR index in China increased by 7% year on year, reaching a record high;

Finding 2

The comprehensive CSR index of growth enterprises increased by 17.6% year on year, significantly narrowing the gap with that of leading enterprises;

Finding 3

The social responsibility performance of extractive industry and construction industry achieved higher level, and the comprehensive CSR index of ICT industry slightly decreased compared with that in the previous year, while the performance of other industries increased;

Finding 4

The level that social responsibility integrated into corporate strategy and governance was significantly improved;

Finding 5

CSR management gradually becomes mainstreaming and normalized;

Finding 6

80% enterprises established social responsibility information disclosure mechanism;

Finding 7

The CSR fulfillment of enterprises to all stakeholders improved, with the community index performing the best and the customer index increasing the most;

Finding 8

Corporate environmental index performed well, with a year-on-year increase of 15%, revealing more systematic and standardized environmental management;

Finding 9

Enterprises pay attention to building a responsible value chain, focusing on issues such as procurement management and product/service quality;

Finding 10

The index of responsible competitiveness is stable, and the theme focuses on the fields of sustainable products/services and ecological conservation.

While China is accelerating new quality productive forces and injecting vitality into global economy, the world is also accelerating sustainable recovery and transformation. Representatives from Europe and Japan shared the latest progress of CSR in their respective regions.

Jan Noterdaeme, Senior Advisor & Co-founder, CSR Europe and Morris Massarutto, Project Manager, CSR Europe, highlighted the European regulatory landscape on corporate sustainability and responsibility. It is necessary to strengthen legislation on sustainability reporting, supply chain sustainability, due diligence, transparency, pushing into a new area of European compliance on sustainability.

Masao Seki, Steering Committee Chairman, Council for Better Corporate Citizenship (CBCC), introduced that the number of companies integrating SDGs into their management has significantly increased. Business and human rights, nature-positive economy and so on are companies’ key issues.

As biodiversity conservation has become a global consensus, at the forum, the latest research From Consensus to Action, Accelerating the Progress of Corporate Nature-related Risk Management - Chinese Companies' 2023 CDP Nature-related Information Disclosure Report jointly released by GoldenBee China and CDP Global Environmental Information Research Center (CDP) showed that the process of mandatory and mainstreaming standards for nature-related information disclosure has caught up with that of climate information disclosure, and biodiversity is becoming the next key ESG issue.

New engine

ESG drives sustainable development

Green development is the foundation of high-quality development, and new quality productive forces are green productive forces. ESG, as an important reference system and path for high-quality development, has become the focus of this forum.

At the New Quality Productive Forces Driving Sustainable Development Forum, speakers shared their perspectives on ESG disclosure, management, standards, practices, and other aspects.

Hua Jingdong, Vice President of International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), shared the latest application of the first set of global ESG disclosure standards released by ISSB.

Yin Gefei, Founder and Chief Expert of GoldenBee ThinkTank, pointed out that the new era of sustainable economic globalization has arrived, and China's propositions and practices in the new round of economic globalization are showing strength.

Liu Xuexin, President of ESG Institute of Capital University of Economics and Business (CUEB), Convener of ESG Standardization Research Group of Standardization Administration of China, put forward suggestions for the coordinated development of ESG with new quality productive forces.

Zhang Kai, Head of Zizhu Hi-Tech Park Social Responsibility Alliance, shared how to combine regional advantages to create a highland for the development and practice of new quality productive forces.

Yang Shouguo, Vice President of Zhonghe Group, shared innovative practices in new quality human resources services and released the 2023 Zhonghe Group ESG Report.

At this forum, guests also had special discussions on topics such as ESG competitiveness, ESG and women's leadership, responsible competitiveness, etc. They also engaged in MiniTalk exchanges on sustainable development practices such as ESG reporting, ESG talent development, report ratings, carbon digital management, and brand professional certification training.

New benchmark

62 companies selected as GoldenBee Enterprises

The "2024 GoldenBee CSR China Honor Roll" was released at the same time.

62 companies stood out and were awarded in categories such as Leading Enterprise, Pioneering Enterprise, Carbon Peak & Neutrality Pioneer, Sustainable Product & Service, Customer Focus, Responsible Procurement, Employee Care, Strategic Public Benefit, Rural Vitalization, as well as CSR Management, New Nature Economy Exploration, Cross-cultural Integration, etc., becoming models of new quality productive forces and responsible competitiveness. At the same time, 16 companies were shortlisted.

Since its first release in 2008, the "GoldenBee CSR China Honor Roll" has attracted over 4,000 enterprises and organizations for evaluation, resulting in the emergence of 535 "bee-type" enterprises, and forming a collective image of responsible enterprises in China.

Since 2005, the International CSR Forum has been committed to the principles of internationalization and professionalism, as well as "encouraging, assisting, nurturing, and promoting". With a focus on the latest trends in CSR development at home and abroad, the event has become an important platform for communication in the fields of CSR, ESG, and sustainable development in China. The partners of this forum include the Zizhu National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Asia Research & Engagement (ARE) China, Zhonghe Group, SAIC Anji Logistics, GE Healthcare, Beijing BJ212. Shiny Meadow, Freda Biotechnology, and Beijing Zhongfeng Beekeeping Cooperative Society provided support for souvenirs.