The 6th WEC Presidium Round-Table Meeting, held in Beijing June 30, urged corporations to accelerate their pursuits of green and low-carbon development. [Wang Wei/China.org.cn]

Corporations must pursue green and low-carbon development, according to a proposal released June 30 by the 6th World Economic and Environmental Conference (WEC) Presidium Round-Table Meeting in Beijing.

The meeting, held ahead of the November 16-18 WEC, focused on the same theme of "Moving Towards Green and Low-Carbon Road, Deepening Industrial Reform and Keeping on Harmonious Development" that the conference will.

On May 14, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) warned that the global concentration of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has passed the 400 parts per million mark, the highest concentration ever recorded.

"This news has sounded the alarm for our human beings one more time," said Li Junyang, secretary-general of the International Energy Conservation Environmental Protection Association (IEEPA), "We should do something more useful for carbon emission reduction."

Corporations have an enormous impact on resources, environment and climate change, Li said. "They should play a core role in pushing forward green and low-carbon development in the world."

At the pre-WEC meeting, the Inner Mongolian Yili Group Co. was given the "International Carbon-Value" award for the third consecutive year. The award was established in 2011 to recognize companies that successfully pursue sustainable environmental and economic development. Yili Group is the country's largest milk producer.

Yili Group CEO Zhang Jianqiu addressed the issue of green development from the company's practice. "As part of the corporate strategy, the idea of green and low-carbon development has been implemented into every aspect of Yili Group throughout the whole industrial chain," Zhang said. "From building of green milk source bases to application of biodegradable packaging material, Yili Group has been taking a green path, which not only improves the environment around, but brings benefits for the corporation itself."

In addition to introducing advanced technology from overseas, Yili Group has been encouraging its staff members to make energy-efficiency technology innovations. In 2012, Yili Group's 323 conservation projects saved the company 31 million yuan (US$5.05 million) in energy costs, said Zhang.

The company reduced its CO2 emissions by 2.1 percent, or almost 21,000 tons, between 2011 and 2012.

Corporations urged to take a low-carbon path