GoldenBee attends a delegation to Europe organized by CAAM

With the growing business footprint of Chinese automobile in the world, there is a growing need to have more engagement with international stakeholder partners. It is of critical importance to enhance the Environmental, Social and Governance performance of the automobile enterprises to reinforce the competitiveness to better align the various standards and sharing of best practice.

GoldenBee Consulting is one of the first professional organizations dedicating to ESG and sustainability in China and continues to promote sustainable development in the automotive industry. Since 2017, GoldenBee Consulting has been the facilitator of the Drive Sustainability China to serve the global leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to localize sustainable supply chain management in China and jointly improve the social, ethical and environmental performance of the automotive supply chain. In addition, GoldenBee Consulting has been providing its research on ESG in the automotive industry. The results were released at important platforms such as the automotive industry forums and the international sustainability forums.
 
From October 7-15, 2023, GoldenBee Consulting attended a delegation tour on ESG standards and regulations to Berlin, Germany and Brussels, Belgium organized by China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) to carry out exchange activities with organizations and enterprises including German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), Catena-X, European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), CSR Europe, amfori and Bekaert Group.
 
The delegation group was led by CAAM, and consisted of 11 members from Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd., FAW Jiefang Automotive Co., Ltd., Geely Auto, Sanhua Holding Group, and GoldenBee Consulting.
 
In the morning of October 9, the delegation and VDA focused on the European Union (EU)’s Fit for 55 Package. Particularly, they discussed the policies, regulations, progress, and requirements related to decarbonization of the EU transport industry, electric vehicle transition, production and circular economy, raw materials and sustainable supply chain management. This was followed by the exchange on practical experiences between China and Europe around these aspects.
 

Delegation and VDA representatives

 
In the afternoon of October 9, the delegation discussed with Catena-X on supply chain data collaboration and sharing in the automotive industry. Catena-X was initiated by key players in the automotive industry such as BMW, System Analysis Program Development (SAP), Mercedes-Benz, Deutsche Telekom, Siemens, etc. It is the first open and collaborative data ecosystem in the automotive industry and has 170+ partners globally. In this meeting, Catena-X introduced its background, progress and future plans and the participants fully exchanged views on the practical approaches of applying the platform. They agreed to share user cases in the following communication.
 

Delegation and Catena-X representatives

 
On October 11, the delegation exchanged views with ACEA on recent work priorities and policy trends. Specifically, they discussed EU anti-subsidy investigations, Euro 7 emission standards, new regulation on batteries and waste batteries, Fit for 55 Package, proposed regulation on circularity requirements for end-of-life vehicles, directives related to the full product lifecycle.
 

Delegation and ACEA representatives

 
On October 12, during the meeting with CSR Europe, the delegation discussed insights on the European Green Deal, EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and other regulations that have a great impact on the automotive industry. CSR Europe shared the automotive industry's experience on supply chain management with the example of the Drive Sustainability.
 

Delegation and CSR Europe representatives

 
During the visit to amfori in the afternoon, amfori introduced its background, focus areas and key work, and exchanged with the delegation group on the background of EU sustainability-related legislation, requirements of supply chain environmental and social sustainability due diligence, as well as suggestions for Chinese companies to better respond to the changes.
 

Delegation and amfori representatives

 
On Oct 13, the delegation group visited Bekaert Group, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. The representatives of delegation group, Bekaert and Drive sustainability introduced the backgrounds and recent focuses of organizations. Representatives of Bekaert Group shared their key achievements and excellent cases in carbon neutrality, sustainable supply chain management, sustainable product development and innovation, etc. The participants had an in-depth exchange on the challenges and experiences in specific management practices.
 

Delegation and Bekaert representatives

 
The delegation tour was successfully concluded on October 15. The delegates gained an in-depth understanding of the latest policies, regulations, standards, industry trends and enterprise practices of the automotive industry in Europe, and consolidated partnerships with the European stakeholders. All parties expressed the wishes for continuous promotion of the trade cooperation between China and Europe and strengthening the regular exchanges, in order to contribute to the sustainable and high-quality development of the automobile industry in China.
 

 
Translated and edited from CAAM news articles
http://www.caam.org.cn/chn/3/cate_17/con_5236190.html
http://www.caam.org.cn/chn/3/cate_17/con_5236197.html
http://www.caam.org.cn/chn/3/cate_17/con_5236198.html