The Sino-Western Green Enterprise Initiative is an inter-continental platform that can catalyse sustainable development between the East and West. 

The Green Enterprise Institute believes that the conversation about sustainable development has long excluded some crucial stakeholders. Sustainable development is highly reliant upon economic decarbonisation. The Institute is therefore building an international locus where entrepreneurs, researchers, and institutions can meet collaboratively. The economic and environmental conversation conducted on this platform will be unique, thanks to a highly diversified network of export collaborators. 

We are deeply aware that achieving carbon-neutrality requires connecting complex issues, in lieu of an isolated ‘silo’ approach. In the 21st century, this calls for a trans-national and cross-cultural discussion about economic and environmental systems. A primary focus at GEI is the East’s contribution to this conversation. 

China is an economic and demographic superpower – constituting ~20% of global GDP and world population – only increasing its potential to be a powerhouse of sustainability. Over the last few decades, organisations in China and in neighboring countries have risen to the cutting edge of academic research and entrepreneurial achievement. September 2020 saw President Xi Jinping pledge before the UN General Assembly net carbon neutrality by 2060, a commitment backed by the most ambitious industrial plan to date, with $14.725 trillion (100 trillion renminbi) projected cost by 2050. 

GEI has a distinct long-term mission in Asia. In the coming years, much of the stimulus in the green energy sector will come from the Eastern hemisphere – half of renewable growth from China alone. Over the past half-decade alone, the country installed over twelve thousand megawatts (MW) of renewables. As sustainability seeps into the national ethos, a majority of technical research, entrepreneurial strategy, and sustainable processes may also  be incubated there. We hope to accelerate the speed at which these ideas are transformed into viable market strategies, by forging alliances between Western and Eastern institutions and enterprises. We also hope to set the stage for a global conversation about international cooperation in economic decarbonisation. GEI’s strategic steps to achieve this mission include translating academic research, hosting trans-national forums, and working collaboratively with Chinese expertise on practical initiatives.

GEI is uniquely positioned to take on these tasks. Due to our inter-continental network of institutional and corporate collaborators, we are able to form dynamic and proactive partnerships to produce cutting-edge solutions – from biomass classification to direct carbon capture – staying connected using the latest resources and technology. As an international non-affiliated charitable organisation, we possess the political neutrality to unite groups with contrasting opinions and nurture cooperation. Our strategic grassroots approach of nominating GEI ambassadors at major institutions throughout East Asia allows us to aid in the furtherance of Green Enterprise objectives on a significantly larger scale.  

Being part of this process is more than a mission for GEI; it is an honour. Chinese culture, beyond its economic strengths, embodies a millennial tradition of innovation and technology, and a deep sentiment of respect for the earth. Combined with the country’s unique hybrid market economy, China is positioned to offer profound insights into the public sector support of market decarbonisation. GEI can provide crucial contributions to the international conversation on sustainable development, bridging the cultural and geographical gaps which hinder our globalising world from mobilising these solutions. A pivotal historic moment stands before us, where unity is needed to achieve international ecological harmony, and GEI is excited and grateful for the opportunity to present this new initiative. 

In Phase 1 of the Sino-Western Green Enterprise Initiative’s deployment, GEI is building a network of researchers, businesspeople, and policy makers in China and beyond, as well as developing a series of localised projects. GEI activities (podcasts, webinars, articles, advisory initiatives, summer programs, research projects) will be hosted in China and remotely within our Chinese network. Phase 2, beginning January 2022, will see the deployment of on-the-ground GEI activities in Asia. Phase 3 will see the establishment and maintenance of permanent local GEI headquarters. We remain committed to deploying our best efforts to bring these Phases to fruition and launching an initiative that champions the true potential of the East in the conversation about environmental sustainability.