Following the Future Path: Shaping New Quality of Growth | The 2025 Frost & Sullivan ESG and New Productivity Forum Concluded Successfully

The 2025 Frost & Sullivan ESG and New Productivity Forum has successfully concluded!

On August 27, the 19th Frost & Sullivan China Growth, Innovation and Leadership Summit & 4th New Investment Conference (hereinafter referred to as the '2025 Frost & Sullivan New Investment Conference') ESG andNew productive forcesThe forum was grandly held at the Shanghai Jing'an Shangri-La Hotel.

In recent years, China's ESG and new quality productivity policies have been accelerating integration and deepening. The core approach is to use standard system construction, financial support, and corporate practices to integrate ESG as an important tool and evaluation system for cultivating new quality productivity. In 2025, the China Securities Regulatory Commission issued the 'Implementation Opinions on Capital Markets Doing a Good Job in Financial 'Five Major Articles', clearly requiring the improvement of green finance standards, promoting the aggregation of factor resources such as technology finance and green finance into the field of new quality productivity, and guiding the disclosure of sustainable development information for listed companies. In the future, more specialized and innovative enterprises will become the main force in ESG practice, helping Chinese companies build sustainable development advantages in global competition through green finance, ESG investment, and alignment with international rules.

This forum has invited more than a dozen heavyweight guests and industry leaders, bringing together experts and scholars in the ESG field, industry leaders, innovative enterprises, investment institutions, professional service providers, and other forces to jointly discuss core topics related to ESG and new quality productivity industries. It also looks ahead to cutting-edge perspectives on future corporate innovation and achieving high-quality development, working together to promote the implementation and practice of the ESG concept.

Six major professional topics to discuss ESG and the development and future of new productive forces

Mr. Tang Zhehui, Co-Head of Audit Services at EY Greater China, shared a keynote speech titled "When ESG Meets New Productivity, Embarking on a Beautiful Sci-Tech Odyssey." Mr. Tang analyzed in depth the current situation after China's economy has reached a structural inflection point, including challenges such as changes in GDP composition, household debt, population aging, and trends such as a slowdown in global value chain trade. He also introduced the global leadership performance and mergers and acquisitions dynamics of China's climate technology industry in sectors such as photovoltaics and energy storage. He emphasized the key role of the integration of ESG and new productivity in the sustainable development and high-quality growth of enterprises, pointing out that the combination can be centered on green, efficient, and safe practices, stimulating the vitality of production factors, helping the Chinese economy break through barriers, and contributing to global green transformation.

Ms. Liu Jia, General Manager of the Industry Research Department at Guoxuan High-Tech, shared her keynote speech on "Globalization Strategy and ESG Response of Lithium Battery Enterprises." Ms. Liu Jia conducted an in-depth analysis of the necessity for lithium battery enterprises to "go global" and the relevant strategies globally in the ESG field. She pointed out that the global lithium battery market has broad prospects, and overseas demand cannot be ignored. Currently, Chinese enterprises generally face the problem of insufficient capacity utilization rate, making accelerating international layout an inevitable choice. At the same time, the industry trend of gradually reducing dependence on the Chinese industrial chain overseas is also forcing Chinese enterprises to accelerate localization efforts. Regarding ESG, Europe is focusing on green new policies, and battery bills have put forward clear requirements for localized production and recycling, carbon footprint management, and battery passports. Enterprises must prepare early for these responses.

Proton carMr. Li Man, Director and Deputy General Manager, shared a keynote speech titled "Exploration and Practice of Zero-Carbon Intelligent Transportation." Mr. Li Man conducted an in-depth analysis of the pain points in China's commercial vehicle industry, including high pollution, high accident rates, heavy labor intensity for personnel, low energy efficiency, as well as issues such as imperfect regulations and insurance for zero-carbon intelligent transportation, insufficient charging and swapping networks, and lagging V2X construction. He emphasized the urgency and necessity of the new energy transformation of commercial vehicles, which can reduce pollution, improve energy efficiency, and lower noise. At the same time, it is necessary to break through bottlenecks in infrastructure and coordination efficiency to promote the implementation of zero-carbon intelligent transportation, in order to cope with the challenges of strict international market certification standards and diverse demands.

Mr. Chen Jianfeng, CCO of Singauto New Asia Technology, shared a keynote speech titled "How New Energy Commercial Vehicles Embrace the Growing Demand for Global Cold Chain Logistics." Mr. Chen Jianfeng conducted an in-depth analysis of the development prospects of new energy commercial vehicles in cold chain logistics scenarios. He pointed out that countries around the world are intensively introducing emission reduction policies and carbon neutrality targets, creating a favorable environment for the popularization of new energy commercial vehicles; at the same time, the global new energy commercial vehicle market is expanding rapidly, with vans and light trucks becoming core models. Against this backdrop, the demand for cold chain logistics continues to grow, presenting new opportunities for high-speed development, especially in Southeast Asia and Central and North Africa, where the joint drive of religious consumption habits and climatic conditions holds great growth potential for the halal cold chain market. The Chinese cold chain logistics industry and enterprises are actively expanding overseas markets, promoting the development of the "Belt and Road" economy, and facilitating regional economic integration and the upgrading of the international logistics system.

Mr. Wu Jiaye, Partner at EY's Strategy and Transaction Consulting, shared a keynote speech titled "Developing New Productive Forces to Accelerate Energy Transformation." Mr. Wu analyzed the current situation after the emergence of the "green dual track system" in global green policies, including challenges such as Europe and America delaying ESG directives, slowing down electrification processes, and the United States withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, as well as trends such as intensified competition for mineral and metal resources. He also introduced China's achievements in 2024, including 60% of new renewable energy installations globally and a contribution rate of over 45% to non-fossil energy consumption, as well as leading practices in breaking through with new productive forces. He emphasized that China is developing "new productive forces" through technological innovation to promote the intelligent transformation of traditional industries, strengthen emerging industries such as new energy and new materials, and layout future industries. He pointed out that energy transformation can be advanced through six paths, taking into account both international competition and domestic demand, providing a Chinese solution for global green development.

Mr. Zhou Yuan, Chief Product Officer of Yiyiying and General Manager of the Fiscal and Tax Value Development Center, shared "Under the Artificial Intelligence Wave:Agent productMr. Zhou Yuan delivered a keynote speech on "Commercialization Exploration". He pointed out three major trends in AI in 2025: continuous enhancement of model capabilities, increasing cognitive barriers for Agent products, and that popular products need to possess industry knowledge, customer insights, business understanding, and mature SaaS delivery capabilities. He highlighted the "Digital Smart Factory 1.0" Yiqing Finance and Tax Agent System platform, which is centered around digital smart advisors, accountants, and invoicers, supporting AI for the entire process of operations and dividing financial positions into three levels: L1-L3. The core system "Caiying Zhixin" optimizes through decision chains and knowledge bases, achieving business scenario restoration with an accuracy rate of over 90%. In the future, it will strive to build an "evolvable Agent commercial system" with full-link AI, forming a finance and tax AI ecosystem, promoting the tenfold evolution of products, and helping enterprises improve efficiency.

Focus on the global ESG track: The "White Paper on the Growth Opportunities of the Global ESG Climate Risk Platform and Reporting Industry in 2025" is officially released

Ms. Yin Kehan, Senior Consulting Advisor at Frost & Sullivan Greater China, interpreted the 'White Paper on the Growth Opportunities of the Global ESG Climate Risk Platform and Reporting Industry 2025', pointing out that the global ESG climate risk platform and reporting industry is in a period of rapid growth, driven by three strategic elements: disruptive technology, transformative macro trends, and innovative business models. This white paper provides a comprehensive reference for enterprises to grasp the industry's growth direction based on dimensions such as the current development status, core opportunities, policy and regulatory analysis in major regions, driving factors, and future paths of the ESG climate risk platform and reporting industry. The event aims to help all parties in the market deeply understand the current development status, core opportunities, and future paths of the ESG climate risk platform and reporting industry in China and globally. This event will promote joint exploration of growth directions and work together to promote the healthy and sustainable development of the industry.

Focus on the field of building operations: The Chinese and English versions of "White Paper on the Sustainable Path of Building Operations" and "A Path to Sustainable Building Operations" are officially released.

Ms. Yin Kehan, Senior Consulting Advisor at Frost & Sullivan Greater China, interpreted the White Paper 'The Path to Sustainable Building Operations' and 'A Path to Sustainable Building Operations'. This white paper comprehensively analyzes how Facility Management (FM) promotes ESG and net-zero transformations through platformization and data-driven approaches. Based on in-depth research on ESG, it provides “6P FrameworkTools, revealing the optimal paths and quantifiable benefits in strategy, technology, and implementation outcomes, aiming to promote consensus building and practical exploration of sustainable paths for building operations. In addition, this white paper helps all parties in the market understand the strategic value and business potential of ESG and net-zero transformation for facility management through case sharing and cutting-edge insights, and jointly build a green, low-carbon, intelligent, and efficient future building operation ecosystem.

New standards, new paths, new drivers, and new patterns for understanding Chinese enterprises' ESG practices: "2025 China's Best ESG Practices" is officially released

Mr. Lou Lei, Executive Director of Frost & Sullivan Greater China, provided an in-depth interpretation of 'The 2025 Best Corporate Practices in ESG in China'. The report systematically sorts out the practical progress and development trends of Chinese enterprises in the field of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), focusing on key dimensions such as policy-driven initiatives, industry differentiation, green finance, and digital disclosure. It aims to provide a data-based and case-supported ESG implementation path and evaluation framework for enterprises and investors. At the same time, the report brings together the innovative practices of ESG by several leading companies, exploring from multiple perspectives how ESG reshapes corporate strategies, enhances competitiveness, and achieves sustainable value creation, helping enterprises seize opportunities and address challenges under the 'dual carbon' goal. Subsequently, Mr. Lou Lei, Executive Director of Frost & Sullivan Greater China, unveiled the '2025 Best Corporate Practices in ESG in China', marking a new stage of systematic and standardized development of ESG in China.

The summit featured special sessions of expert face-to-face meetings and roundtable forums. Leaders and experts from multiple companies shared their experiences and insights on hot topics such as corporate ESG management, the integration of AI and ESG, and the transformation of the commercial vehicle industry.

Expert Interviews: Corporate ESG Management and the Integration Opportunities of AI with ESG

Against the backdrop of the increasingly stringent "dual carbon" strategy and ESG disclosure requirements, during the "Expert Face-to-Face" session of this forum, Ms. Li Jing, ESG Sustainable Development Partner at EY Greater China, provided an in-depth interpretation of the integration of corporate ESG management and AI. Ms. Li Jing stated that ESG should no longer be seen as a mere "cost center," but rather as a "value creation center." Its significance lies not only in shaping corporate brands and enhancing long-term competitiveness but also in providing strong support for companies to gain sustainable advantages in global competition. Combining practical experience from Chinese enterprises, she proposed a phased development path: from initial data collection and compliance disclosure, to large enterprises' green supply chain construction and climate risk management, and then to globalization governance and digital system applications at the multinational group level, to help companies achieve targeted improvements at different stages. At the same time, she emphasized the need to find a balance between international standards and local characteristics, establishing an indicator system that conforms to global frameworks while reflecting industry-specific features. When discussing the integration of AI and ESG, she shared green computing power.Vertical intelligent Q&AApplying cases highlight that AI will play an important role in promoting the implementation of ESG, but enterprises should also take into account energy consumption management during the application process to ensure that digital transformation and sustainable development advance in tandem.

Roundtable Discussion: The Way Forward for New Energy Commercial Vehicle Enterprises

Against the backdrop of the dual drivers of the 'dual carbon' strategy and intelligent manufacturing, the new energy commercial vehicle industry has seen a development upsurge. However, it also faces multiple challenges such as high technical barriers, sensitive operating costs, and imperfect infrastructure. To explore the industry's path to breaking through these barriers, the forum held a roundtable discussion on 'The Way Forward for New Energy Commercial Vehicle Enterprises'. Mr. Li Man, Director and Deputy General Manager of Proton Auto, and Mr. Xu Tongliang, Chief Technology Officer of New Asia Technology, engaged in an in-depth discussion on this topic, sharing practices and insights in technological innovation and deep engagement with specific scenarios. Mr. Lv Jiayang, a Frost & Sullivan consultant, served as the host of this roundtable.

Mr. Li Man, Director and Deputy General Manager of Proton Auto, emphasized that the essence of commercial vehicles is a production tool. Customers pursue maximizing asset returns. New energy commercial vehicle enterprises should focus on mainstream operating scenarios, achieve resource reuse through platformization and modularization technologies, and at the same time promote the real implementation of intelligent functions for commercial vehicles based on the standard of 'optimal asset returns'.

Mr. Xu Tongying, CTO of Singauto New Asia Technology, pointed out that enterprises need to be customer-centric, achieve differentiated competition through 'scenario-driven vehicle manufacturing', and build ecological solutions relying on a global resource layout. In addition, the participating guests also analyzed key topics such as overseas expansion strategies, industrial chain collaboration, and policy adaptation, comprehensively dissecting the new pattern of new energy commercial vehicles shifting from product competition to multi-dimensional ecological competition.

Finally, amidst warm applause, the Frost & Sullivan ESG and New Productivity Sub-forum successfully concluded. This forum attracted a distinguished group of guests, with engaging presentations and the collision of ideas. We would like to extend our most sincere gratitude to all the industry leaders and VIPs who participated!