The 2024 Conference on the Sustainable Future of E-commerce and the Opening Ceremony of HZECA’s Green E-commerce Committee Are Successfully Held
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As the annual mid-year e-commerce festival concluded, concerns about the environmental impacts of the booming e-commerce industry remained in the spotlight. Addressing these concerns, the 2024 Conference on the Sustainable Future of E-commerce and the Opening Ceremony for the Green E-commerce Committee of Hangzhou Electronic Commerce Association (HZECA) were successfully held on June 27, 2024, in Hangzhou, often known as the hub of e-commerce.
As the annual mid-year e-commerce festival concluded, concerns about the environmental impacts of the booming e-commerce industry remained in the spotlight. Addressing these concerns, the 2024 Conference on the Sustainable Future of E-commerce and the Opening Ceremony for the Green E-commerce Committee of Hangzhou Electronic Commerce Association (HZECA) were successfully held on June 27, 2024, in Hangzhou, often known as the hub of e-commerce.
This conference was co-hosted by HZECA and Jiangnan Project Cente of the SEE Conservation, and organized by the Green E-commerce Project Team set up by Shenzhen Zero Waste (also known as the Toxics-Free Corps), Plastic Free China, Nature Fields and Wildlife-Free E-Commerce Initiative together, with support from companies like REACH24H Consulting Group (REACH24H), Vision Future and eSign.
E-commerce Hub: A parallel focus on Excellence and CSR
Yuan Dingding, the conference chair and the executive secretary general of the HZECA, outlined the conference’s objectives. He explained that the conference aimed to explore how e-commerce platforms could be utilized to promote sustainable consumption and green growth. The conference sought to provide the industry participants with guidelines and practices.
“Green growth and sustainability have become our shared goals and priorities amid the global climate change and increasing environmental problems,” emphasized Shao Jun, HZECA President, in his opening remarks. “As the hub of e-commerce in China, Hangzhou has not only made great achievements in technological innovation and business models but also bears a greater social responsibility. The establishment of the Green E-commerce Committee within HZECA marks a significant milestone in advancing the green growth of the e-commerce industry.”
The establishment of this special committee is announced today to make the e-commerce industry greener
In a concerted effort to promote the green growth of the e-commerce industry, HZECA has announced the establishment of the Green E-commerce Committee, aiming to foster a commitment to green, low-carbon development in collaboration with the China-leading e-commerce platforms and companies, further enhancing Hangzhou’s reputation as the hub of e-commerce in China. Relevant officials presented the executive-director organizations, deputy-director ones and experts with signs and certificates at the opening ceremony of the committee held on the same day.
He Yibing, the head of the Green E-commerce Committee and the president of the work committee at Jiangnan Project Center of the SEE Conservation, expressed his high expectations for the committee. He stated that the committee would leverage resources from all stakeholders and build a diversified platform in areas like policy advocacy, awareness raising, and capacity building on implementation to promote the green transition of the e-commerce industry. He called for joint efforts and expressed his hope that the committee would play a significant role in achieving the goal of green growth in e-commerce.
In a concerted effort to promote the green growth of the e-commerce industry, HZECA has announced the establishment of the Green E-commerce Committee, aiming to foster a commitment to green, low-carbon development in collaboration with the China-leading e-commerce platforms and companies, further enhancing Hangzhou’s reputation as the hub of e-commerce in China. Relevant officials presented the executive-director organizations, deputy-director ones and experts with signs and certificates at the opening ceremony of the committee held on the same day.
He Yibing, the head of the Green E-commerce Committee and the president of the work committee at Jiangnan Project Center of the SEE Conservation, expressed his high expectations for the committee. He stated that the committee would leverage resources from all stakeholders and build a diversified platform in areas like policy advocacy, awareness raising, and capacity building on implementation to promote the green transition of the e-commerce industry. He called for joint efforts and expressed his hope that the committee would play a significant role in achieving the goal of green growth in e-commerce.
Releasing a report titled “Guidelines for Providing Product Sustainability Information in E-Commerce”
In 2024, with authorization by the One Planet Network, the China Chain Store & Franchise Association (CCFA), the China Environmental United Certification Center (CEC) and Shenzhen Zero Waste jointly completed the Chinese translation of the report titled “Guidelines for Providing Product Sustainability Information in E-Commerce”, aiming to help e-commerce platforms participate in promoting sustainable consumption.
With the report’s content in mind, the representatives of both parties shared their respective experiences in promoting sustainability at the event.
In 2024, with authorization by the One Planet Network, the China Chain Store & Franchise Association (CCFA), the China Environmental United Certification Center (CEC) and Shenzhen Zero Waste jointly completed the Chinese translation of the report titled “Guidelines for Providing Product Sustainability Information in E-Commerce”, aiming to help e-commerce platforms participate in promoting sustainable consumption.
With the report’s content in mind, the representatives of both parties shared their respective experiences in promoting sustainability at the event.
Liu Xiaofei, the deputy head of the Certification Department of China Environmental United Certification Center (CEC) , emphasized the significance of green certification in e-commerce. He stated that with a proven standards system and objective, quantitative measurement, eco-labels could help consumers identify truly eco-friendly products while enabling a response to greenwashing, thus promoting sustainable consumption.
Guo Qinhua, the director of the Sustainable Consumption Promotion Department of China Chain-Store & Franchise Association (CCFA), explained the progress of the CCFA Sustainable Consumption Roundtable, and how they had organized CSR events like the CCFA Sustainable Consumption Promotion Week with member enterprises to convey product sustainability information, promote the concept of sustainable consumption, and encourage low-carbon lifestyles to consumers.
Guo Qinhua, the director of the Sustainable Consumption Promotion Department of China Chain-Store & Franchise Association (CCFA), explained the progress of the CCFA Sustainable Consumption Roundtable, and how they had organized CSR events like the CCFA Sustainable Consumption Promotion Week with member enterprises to convey product sustainability information, promote the concept of sustainable consumption, and encourage low-carbon lifestyles to consumers.
Releasing of the report titled “The Guide to Chemicals Management by E-commerce Platforms”
Dr. Mao Da, the chairman and strategic director of Shenzhen Zero Waste and the initiator of the Toxics-Free Corps campaign, along with Li Tingting, the deputy general manager of REACH24H, discussed how to make e-commerce platforms greener and safer through science-based chemicals management under the theme of “The Guide to Chemicals Management by E-commerce Platforms: Creating a Green, Safe Environment for Online Shopping.”
Dr. Mao offered an overview of this report, which emphasizes e-commerce platforms’ critical role in managing products throughout their lifecycles. It proposes two management roadmaps for compliance and going beyond compliance. The report aims to reduce the harmful impacts of chemicals on health and the environment while urging e-commerce platforms to fulfill their environmental responsibility, meeting the expectations of consumers and investors.
Li Tingting, the deputy general manager of REACH24H, emphasized the need for companies to evolve from “compliance” to “going beyond compliance” to drive chemicals management into a green future. She highlighted the significance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in chemicals management and showcased best practices from global e-commerce platforms like Target and Amazon in transparency management, chemical restrictions, green chemical innovation and climate-friendly commitments. She also mentioned the status quo and challenges of chemicals management on domestic e-commerce platforms and proposed approaches to “going beyond compliance”, including making a chemicals management strategy, creating a list of hazardous chemicals and conducting an inventory of chemicals, disclosing relevant information, among others. These efforts aim to promote technical solutions and industrial sustainability in the area of green chemistry.
Li Tingting, the deputy general manager of REACH24H, emphasized the need for companies to evolve from “compliance” to “going beyond compliance” to drive chemicals management into a green future. She highlighted the significance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in chemicals management and showcased best practices from global e-commerce platforms like Target and Amazon in transparency management, chemical restrictions, green chemical innovation and climate-friendly commitments. She also mentioned the status quo and challenges of chemicals management on domestic e-commerce platforms and proposed approaches to “going beyond compliance”, including making a chemicals management strategy, creating a list of hazardous chemicals and conducting an inventory of chemicals, disclosing relevant information, among others. These efforts aim to promote technical solutions and industrial sustainability in the area of green chemistry.
Green Growth and Governance of E-commerce Companies: Leading the Trend toward Sustainable Consumption
In the discussion on green growth issues and policies for e-commerce enterprises, Zheng Xue, the executive director of Guangzhou-based Plastic Free China, pointed out that as retail e-commerce becomes increasingly significant in the national economy, enterprises need to focus on green transformation to meet policy requirements and the general emphasis on green growth. Zheng Xue suggested that e-commerce enterprises should start with key environmental issues such as climate change, solid waste management, chemical management, biodiversity protection, and sustainable food practices. By identifying substantial environmental issues, setting sustainability goals/targets and strengthening supply chain review, enterprises can promote green growth. Additionally, she called for companies’ enhancing communication with consumers, offering guidance toward sustainable consumption, and jointly contributing to the e-commerce industry’s green transformation.
E-commerce companies’ green growth cannot be without environmental NGOs’ efforts. More importantly, it requires participation by third-party testing organizations. Li Yang, the vice president of Hangzhou DaddyLab Science and Technology Ltd, explained the organization’s approach to green growth through real-world cases: They are dedicated to conducting consumer goods testing and information sharing centered on concept-based guidance and safety control, and ensure the neutrality of tests and the reliability of results. As for the safety of children’s products, in particular, the DaddyLab carries out independent tests and procurement from the open market to identify and give warnings about potential product safety problems, thereby contributing to improvements in the safety standards for products available in the market and protection of consumers’ rights and interests.
The success of this conference marks not just the official establishment of HZECA’s Green E-commerce Committee, but more importantly a big step by the e-commerce industry toward green growth. Moving forward, all of us will continue to fuel the sustainable development of the e-commerce industry together as part of our relentless efforts for the great vision of making products environmentally-friendly. We believe that, with our joint efforts, the e-commerce industry will embrace a bright future where it will become more eco-friendly and sustainable.
In the discussion on green growth issues and policies for e-commerce enterprises, Zheng Xue, the executive director of Guangzhou-based Plastic Free China, pointed out that as retail e-commerce becomes increasingly significant in the national economy, enterprises need to focus on green transformation to meet policy requirements and the general emphasis on green growth. Zheng Xue suggested that e-commerce enterprises should start with key environmental issues such as climate change, solid waste management, chemical management, biodiversity protection, and sustainable food practices. By identifying substantial environmental issues, setting sustainability goals/targets and strengthening supply chain review, enterprises can promote green growth. Additionally, she called for companies’ enhancing communication with consumers, offering guidance toward sustainable consumption, and jointly contributing to the e-commerce industry’s green transformation.
E-commerce companies’ green growth cannot be without environmental NGOs’ efforts. More importantly, it requires participation by third-party testing organizations. Li Yang, the vice president of Hangzhou DaddyLab Science and Technology Ltd, explained the organization’s approach to green growth through real-world cases: They are dedicated to conducting consumer goods testing and information sharing centered on concept-based guidance and safety control, and ensure the neutrality of tests and the reliability of results. As for the safety of children’s products, in particular, the DaddyLab carries out independent tests and procurement from the open market to identify and give warnings about potential product safety problems, thereby contributing to improvements in the safety standards for products available in the market and protection of consumers’ rights and interests.
The success of this conference marks not just the official establishment of HZECA’s Green E-commerce Committee, but more importantly a big step by the e-commerce industry toward green growth. Moving forward, all of us will continue to fuel the sustainable development of the e-commerce industry together as part of our relentless efforts for the great vision of making products environmentally-friendly. We believe that, with our joint efforts, the e-commerce industry will embrace a bright future where it will become more eco-friendly and sustainable.
Programmes:
SDG 12 Targets
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