As one of the core events of the 3rd Greater Bay Area Port, Shipping and Logistics Development Forum, the first meeting of the Research Group on ESG Series Standards for China's Logistics Industry was successfully convened in Shenzhen on December 6.
Hosted by China Shipping Gazette (CSG) and Top 50 Shipping Elite Research Center (50SERC), and supported by Yantian International Container Terminals Co., Ltd. and Shandong Ocean Shipping Group Co., Ltd., the meeting focused on discussions of the General Requirements for ESG Disclosure of Logistics Enterprises (Group Standard – Draft for Public Comment).
Huang Youfang, Chaiman of the Teaching Guidance Committee of Higher Education Institutions of Logistics, Ministry of Education, former President of Shanghai Maritime University and Head of the Research Group on ESG Series Standards for China's Logistics Industry, Fei Weijun, former President of China Waterborne Transport Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport, and Chen Hongbing, Editor-in-Chief of China Shipping Gazette, Executive Vice President of the Shipping and Logistics Branch of China Communications and Transportation Association (CCTA-SLB) and representative of the research group's initiating entities, attended the meeting.
Zhao Yifei, Executive Secretary-General of Top 50 Shipping Elite Research Center (50SERC), one of the initiating entities of the research group, served as the moderator and introduced the background for the establishment of the research group as well as its work plan going forward.
Participants also put forward constructive suggestions on ESG standards for China's logistics enterprises, pointing out that while aligning with international market demands and drawing on international standard rules, the standards should build independent brand identity and reflect the unique characteristics of Chinese logistics enterprises.
In recent years, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues have become a shared focus of countries worldwide and global enterprises, and an important benchmark for measuring the sustainable and high-quality development of enterprises on a global scale.
Since 2024, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC), the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) have issued a succession of documents to provide guidance and set specific requirements for ESG work of central state-owned enterprises and listed companies. The existing ESG practices of Chinese enterprises show that ESG is both a strong driver for the high-quality development of Chinese enterprises and a key frontier for their participation in global market competition. ESG performance has further become an important symbol and embodiment of enterprises' new quality productivity. However, there are inconsistencies in ESG formulation, disclosure and evaluation standards, and the port and shipping logistics industry is no exception.
Against this backdrop, the Research Group on ESG Series Standards for China's Logistics Industry was jointly initiated and established by China Shipping 50 Forum, the Shipping and Logistics Branch of China Communications and Transportation Association (CCTA-SLB), China Shipping Gazette (CSG) and Top 50 Shipping Elite Research Center (50SERC), together with relevant enterprises and research institutes, under the guidance of China Communications and Transportation Association and the Beijing Office of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).
On August 21, 2024, the Research Group on ESG Series Standards for China's Logistics Industry was officially inaugurated in Shanghai. Huang Zhendong, former Minister of the Ministry of Communications, and Xu Zuyuan, Chief Expert on Decision-Making Consultation of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Transport, jointly unveiled the plaque.
Dong Zhiyi, former Deputy Director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), Li Gang, Vice President of China Communications and Transportation Association and Chairman of the Standardization Technical Committee of China Communications and Transportation Association, Li Wenxin, former Deputy General Manager of China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. and Vice President of China Communications and Transportation Association, Huang Youfang, Chaiman of the Teaching Guidance Committee of Higher Education Institutions of Logistics, Ministry of Education, former President of Shanghai Maritime University and Head of the research group, and Ni Wei, President of China Shipping Gazette, accompanied the inauguration ceremony.
