Multi-stakeholders share insights on the challenges and opportunities of environmental information disclosure

On December 1, the Panel “Challenges and Opportunities in Environmental Information Disclosure” was held in Beijing during the 10th International Conference on CSR Reporting in China. Dai Yibo, Deputy General Manager of GoldenBee CSR Consulting, moderated this panel.
 
By gathering the CSR experts and enterprise representatives to discuss the environmental information disclosure, this panel aims to provide powerful proofs that enterprises can build closer partnerships with stakeholders by improving their transparency of environmental information, and solve the balancing problem among economic, social development and ecological protection. 
 
Practice sharing
 
Zhao Xiufu, Deputy Director of Research Centre, Aluminum Corporation of China (CHINALCO):CHINALCO have two unique innovations in environmental information disclosure this year. The first innovation is we released CHINALCO Carbon Reduction Report. The report has three highlights. First, it reveals the practice, concept and achievement of carbon reduction throughout the year; second, we built the CHINALCO carbon reduction model; third, we planned the approach to reduce carbon, and carried out the carbon reduction action from five aspects, namely, concept management, management and operation, science and technology promotion and daily life action. The second innovation is we set up the CHINALCO Carbon Reduction Day. We will commend the excellent news on carbon reduction and the top ten outstanding cases of carbon reduction on that day.
 
Ian Blanden, Managing Director of Stora Enso Guangxi Forestry: Guangxi Forestry carried out a 7-year biodiversity research project. We hope to correct the public’ s misunderstanding of the desertification caused by Eucalyptus and also explore how to protect biodiversity and how to conduct good forest management in the process of planting Eucalyptus.
 
Guangxi Forestry’ s years of practices and experience show that the planting of Eucalyptus does not destroy the biodiversity. In this process, information disclosure is crucial for correcting people’ s misunderstanding of Eucalyptus and will also accumulate the experience in sustainable forest management.
 
Robert Hansor, Principal Engineer, Department of Sustainability, HUAWEI: HUAWEI has issued corporate social responsibility reports for 8 consecutive years. We adhere to the link between people and people and establish a cooperative network for the environmental sustainable development. HUAWEI’ s practical highlights in sustainable development, especially environmental disclosure, mainly include four aspects. First, we produce environmentally friendly products to create a green world. Second, we build environmental supply chains, and the suppliers must meet HUAWEI’ s environmental standards. Third, our product manufacturing ensures the effectiveness and efficiency of environmental protection. Forth, the innovative technology can better create a green world and realize the interconnectivity.
 
Interpretations of external stakeholders
 
Huang Wenbin, Practice Head of Forests, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) China: The main work of WWF is to help enterprises avoid environmental risks and complete the CSR strategy. Our business covers all aspects of forest, ocean, agriculture, fisheries, and climate change and so on. We have gradually realized that it is far from enough to promote the environmental protection alone. It is necessary to have exchange and cooperate with the different stakeholders, such as the government, enterprises and the public, to strengthen the environment information disclosure.
 
For example, in forest protection, WWF sets three development goals: in the next 20 years, promote the globe to stop deforestation; promote the 50% of the world’ s forests get good protection and sustainable development management; promote 350 million hectares of forest in the future to get the landscape restoration. WWF’ s current green transformation project mainly focuses on the cooperation with enterprises to help them be more environmental friendly in the use of forest related products and devote to not affecting the world’ s valuable forest resource.
 
Yu Zhidi, Environmental Expert: The driving force of environmental information disclosure of enterprises in the beginning is a sense of responsibility or a pressure mechanism. For example, the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity has a series of initiatives and requirements for enterprises, among which environmental information disclosure is an important part. At present, the environmental information disclosure has gradually evolved into the self-consciousness of enterprises, and promoted the enterprises to find development opportunities from it.
 
Based on the value of harmony and symbiosis between human and nature, the stakeholder’ s expectation for environmental information disclosure has been extended in a certain extent --- for the full life cycle in time, and for the entire ecosystem in space. For an enterprise, from raw materials to the final recycling of the product, the whole lifecycle requires the mutual help and promotion of all stakeholders.
 
Creativity of environmental information
 
Zhao Xiufu: CHINALCO creatively set up Carbon Reduction Day and initiated joint carbon reduction actions. The benefits are as follows: first, it is “Good for the Country”. As China has signed the Paris Climate Agreement, it stands to reason that CHINALCO, as a central SOE, should promote the carbon reduction action; second, it is “Good for the People”. The living environment of residents and the improvement of fog and haze need the joint efforts of enterprises; third, it is “Good for CHINALCO”. The electric cost of electrolytic aluminum accounts for more than 40% of the total cost, so to reduce energy consumption by carbon reduction is beneficial to save the total coast of the company.
 
Ian Blanden: Stora Enso mainly focuses on three aspects: the financial performance, the sustainability of the environmental development, and the social problem. For Stora Enso, environmental and social problem and financial performance are equally important. We have 1.3 million mu of Eucalyptus Forest Project in China, and we expect to help China achieve biodiversity conservation in other places through our artificial afforestation in Southern China.
 
Robert Hansor: There are three reasons for the environmental information disclosure of HUAWEI: the first is the market demand. HUAWEI must take different measures to meet the different market needs, and respond to different market pressure; the second is that if the company wants to get a good reputation, it needs to provide the stakeholders with sustainable information of environmental protection; the third is cooperating with the stakeholders to carry out environmental protection enables enterprises to get new information and new technology and further promote the sound development of itself.
 
Huang Wenbin: Firstly, environmental information disclosure is the thing should be done by enterprises and even the individuals. More large companies have the ability to positively contribute to environmental protection. Everyone contributes to the environmental protection. Secondly, the cooperation between stakeholders and NGOs can bring positive benefits to enterprises, helping enterprises set up a more responsible image. That enterprises can disclose environmental information also shows their confidence.
 
Yu Zhidi: Active environmental information disclosure is not only conducive to enterprises to deal with challenges and seize opportunities, but also an important path for enterprises to achieve sustainable development. Enterprises can actively innovate in practices. On the one hand, through the investigation and research in the process of environmental information disclosure, they can discover environmental risks and make improvement actively, reducing the negative benefits to the enterprise, society and environment. On the other hand, by cooperating with stakeholders, enterprises can find opportunities, look for values, and increase the positive benefits to the enterprise, society and environment. To practice actively and strengthen information disclosure has become the direction for all.