Zhou Jinfeng: The ESG Reports Shall Include Both Cautionary Cases and the Exploration of Best Practices to Support Sustainable Corporate Development

In recent years, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investment principles have garnered increasing global attention. As a key indicator of a company’s capacity for sustainable development, ESG not only relates to the growth of the enterprise itself but is also closely linked to the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Among these, biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation are two core issues that ESG focuses on.

In mid-January 2025, at the annual review meeting of the ESG Working Committee of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (China Green Development Foundation, or CBCGDF), Zhou Jinfeng emphasized the importance of guiding corporate and societal sustainable development with the worldview and methodology of the era of ecological civilization. He also highlighted the need to establish a China-specific and scientifically rigorous ESG information disclosure system. By adopting nature-based solutions (NbS), he proposed an effective way to promote biodiversity conservation in China and help forge a new paradigm of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. Reflecting on past initiatives, CBCGDF conducted ESG case analyses on issues such as illegal construction at Evergrande’s manmade Haixia Island and problematic dredging projects in Shenzhen Bay, addressing biodiversity destruction and playing a positive role in ecological and biodiversity protection. As the construction of ecological civilization deepens, an increasing number of companies are shifting their focus from financial performance to ESG-related environmental, social, and governance performance, influencing investment philosophies and corporate evaluation standards. ESG disclosures serve as a tangible manifestation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the capital markets and are an important criterion for assessing whether listed companies possess a sense of social responsibility. CBCGDF’s ESG Working Committee will assist enterprises in formulating sustainable development plans, ESG reports, and strategic goals to foster the harmonious development of the economy, society, and the environment.

The ESG concept is inextricably linked to biodiversity protection and climate change mitigation, becoming a key issue for global sustainable development. ESG investments, by integrating ecological civilization construction with corporate growth, offer companies new pathways for achieving green transformation. On one hand, protecting biodiversity enhances the carbon sequestration capabilities of ecosystems, contributing to climate change mitigation. On the other hand, climate change poses a significant threat to biodiversity, making its protection essential to strengthening ecological security. Three years ago, CBCGDF’s Standards Committee released the “ESG Evaluation Standards,” and the Chinese government issued guidelines for ESG information disclosure, including a notice from the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) on the “Research on ESG Special Reports for State-owned Enterprise-controlled Listed Companies,” further standardizing ESG disclosure by state-owned enterprises. CBCGDF will fully leverage its role as a national academic and professional network, pooling collective wisdom, drawing on the latest domestic and international ESG research, and deeply promoting the concept of ecological civilization. This will help advance the construction of a modern society where humans and nature coexist in harmony and contribute to the shared future of mankind.

(Note: This article is a record of daily work, organized based on expert speeches, and is provided for reference only.)

Written by: XIAO QING 

Reviewed by: Linda

Contact: v10@cbcgdf.org; +8617319454776

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