The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development covers 17 goals, the twelfth of which is “Responsible consumption and production,” namely: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Under this major goal, there are 17 targets, the 12.6 of which is “Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.”

●Current Situation

About the World

Large transnational corporations play critical role in global natural resource management

With the development of international mass production, transnational corporations are playing an increasingly important role in economic globalization.There are about 65,000transnational multinationalswith about 850,000 foreign branchesin the world now, and sales of about $19 trillion, more than twice the amount of global exports in 2001. Researchers have identified six corporate actions that, combined with effective public policy and improved governmental regulations, could help large transnational corporations steer environmental stewardship efforts around the world, a new paper suggests.

The six actions are:

1. Alignment of vision -- As people increasingly recognize global environmental changes, new norms are emerging among some of the largest corporations and brands. More than half of a sample of 450 companies in food, wood-product and textile sectors reported using at least one sustainable-sourcing practice.

2. Mainstreaming sustainability -- Guiding frameworks help society define problems and provide space for innovation and solutions to emerge.

3. License to operate -- Developing global licenses for transnational corporations to operate in a democratic,ethical and sustainable manner around the world.

4. Financing transformations -- Major pension funds and other institutional investors are starting to move funds away from unsustainable practices and toward global stewardship. Systematic incorporation of sustainability criteria in traditional financial sectors could push transformative change.

5.Radical transparency -- Novel technologies are making it easier to follow supply chains and monitor production, harvesting and distribution of supplies for environmental impacts. If the major leaders in an industry engage in these practices, it could stimulate others to follow their lead.

6.Evidence-based knowledge for action -- The scientific community can play a key role in facilitating and monitoring corporate change by independently investigating, defining problems and engaging with companies to develop solutions.

Source: ScienceDaily.com

About China

Multinationals help China’s creation and green transformation

China has been reforming and opening up for more than 40 years, and a large number of transnational corporations have developed and grown in China. Many multinational companies have expressed strong interest in the green transformation of China's development mode. With the acceleration of globalization, China has provided a broad platform for the development of transnational enterprises. As carriers of China's economic cooperation and expansion of opening up, transnational enterprises have played an indispensable role in this process, promoting China's development from industries, technologies, talents and other aspects. In particular, under the risk of uncertainty brought by trade frictions and COVID-19 to multinational enterprises' business in China and the global economy, multinational enterprises in China has been carrying out social responsibility practices and continued to play the role of bridge and link between China and foreign countries.

Sources: yicai.com; qq.com

●Cases

About the World

5 ways multinational corporations can have a greater impact on the SDGs

The top 10 publicly traded multinational corporations (MNCs) in the 2019 Fortune Global 500 list employ more than 4.7 million people and generate more than $3.1 trillion in revenue annually. MNCs have a significant global impact on sustainable development. Here are five ways multinationals can expand their impact on the SDGs:

1. Have a CEO who strongly believes in SDGs as a part of the long-term strategy.

2. Put sustainability KPIs on the CEO scorecard.

3. Have a chief sustainability officer (CSO) who reports directly to the CEO and leads a purpose-builtsustainability strategy that includes SDG-related targets.

4. Include a minimum of two key targets beyond the direct sphere of control of the MNC.

5. Under the CSO, position a leader dedicated to cultivating strategic partnerships.

Source: weforum.com

Total Energy and Veolia jointly build the world's largest solar photovoltaic system for Oman

Total Energy and Veolia have signed an agreement to start building the world's largest solar photovoltaic system to provide power for a desalination plant in the city of Sur, Oman. The power plant will be located at the location of Sharqiyah Desalination Plant, which is a reference for Oman and the Gulf region and provides drinking water for more than 600,000 residents in Sharqiyah region.

The 17-megawatt peak solar project will be the first of its kind to be installed in the region. It produces more than 30,000 megawatt hours of green electricity every year, or more than one-third of the electricity consumed by the desalination plant every day, enabling it to avoid nearly 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

This is in line with Oman's National Energy Strategy to convert 30 percent

of its electricity use to renewable energy by 2030. The plant will be equipped with more than 32,000 efficient solar panels and will use the innovative East-West tracking system to increase energy production. It will cover an area of 130,000 square meters, equivalent to about 18 football fields.

Source: CICPMC.com

About China

Fostering sustainable development, Fujitsu's road to green and intelligent manufacturing

China's "14th Five-Year Plan" proposed that we should deeply implement intelligent manufacturing and green manufacturing projects, develop a new model of service-oriented manufacturing, promote high-end, intelligent and green development of the manufacturing industry, and accelerate the progress towards the middle and high ends of the value chain. At the same time, with the clear goal of "double carbon" in China, the digital transformation of manufacturing industry will be organically combined with the important issue of energy conservation and low-carbon, and green intelligent manufacturing has become the trend of the times.

In order to further promote the sustainable development of the industry and society, Fujitsu has released a new commercial brand, Fujitsu Uvance, and "Sustainable Manufacturing" has become one of the key focus areas.

Wang Bo, general manager of Fujitsu Automobile Business Headquarters, said," Fujitsu will use its digital transformation technology to establish a local business ecosystem rooted in China, and looks forward to working with partners from all walks of life to jointly promote the sustainable development of Chinese society."

Honeywell and China Tianying work together to build a large-scale commercial project for chemical recovery of waste plastics

Honeywell and China Tianying Inc. signed a cooperation agreement to carry out in-depth cooperation in the field of chemical recycling of waste plastics. China Tianying will establish a commercial plastic recycling plant in Jiangsu Province to use Honeywell’s UpCycle process to make mixed waste plastics into high-quality recycled polymer feedstock (RPF), helping the development of plastic recycling economy. It will become the first commercial operation device for chemical recycling of waste plastics using Honeywell’s UpCycle process in China.

Source: CICPMC.com

●Background

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Initiated by the United Nations

On January 1, 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including 169 targets, of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit — officially came into force. Countries will mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.