The 3rd Sino-European Corporate ESG Best Practice Conference was recently held in Mainz, Germany, where four ESG initiatives led by Nanjing entities claimed official accolades, highlighting the city’s unique ESG urban brand on the global stage.
The 3rd Sino-European Corporate ESG Best Practice Conference recently wrapped up in Mainz, Germany, cementing the city’s standing as a global benchmark for urban ESG governance.
Zero-Carbon City Category
Nanjing’s municipal submission Nanjing: Systematic Practices and Zero-Carbon Exploration of China’s Pioneer City for ESG Investment was honored as a Best Case.
As China’s first city to systematically roll out citywide ESG construction, Nanjing launched the country’s first municipal ESG assessment system. It has built three differentiated zero-carbon pilot parks—Jiangdao Smart Cube, Xuzhuang High-tech Zone and Jiangning Economic & Technological Development Zone—and established a complete ESG ecosystem spanning policy formulation, industrial upgrading, green finance, public service platforms and talent development.
Digital Transformation Category
Nanjing Communications Group’s project Smart Tunnel Safety, Intelligent Future: Reshaping the Safety Ecosystem of Long Underwater Tunnels through Digital Technology secured another Top Best Practice Case award.
Leveraging digital twin technology, AI inspection robots and infrared leakage detection systems, the project delivers an integrated smart management platform for river-crossing bridges and tunnels. It has overhauled tunnel operation and maintenance workflows, shifting from manual inspection to predictive risk alerting. Its proprietary digital solutions have been exported to Belt and Road economies including Bangladesh and Cambodia.
Education & Training category
Southeast Group won an Excellent Case award for its submission Nanjing Technology Achievement Transformation Institute: Cultivating Technical Manager Talents with ESG Concepts to Remove Barriers to Technology Commercialization.
Through tiered vocational training and hands-on mentorship programmes, the institute addresses Nanjing’s shortage of cross-disciplinary sci-tech service professionals and streamlines the commercial rollout of university research outcomes.
Zero-Carbon Park Category (Foreign Investor Track)
Foreign enterprises with operations in Nanjing also delivered standout ESG outcomes. Danfoss Nanjing Industrial Park’s project Sino-Danish Zero-Carbon Vision: Building a Green Intelligent Manufacturing Benchmark through ESG received an Excellent Practice Case award.
As Danfoss’ first carbon-neutral factory in China, the facility achieves full-process low-carbon operation through magnetic levitation energy-efficient HVAC systems, rainwater recycling and condensate recovery, and a 100% renewable electricity supply.
Nanjing holds two global firsts: it is the world’s third and China’s first city to release a standalone municipal ESG report. The city’s outstanding green loan portfolio has surpassed RMB 200 billion, while its green industrial output maintains a 15% annual compound growth rate. Over 50 high-quality ESG projects have been introduced in recent years.
By rolling out actionable, verifiable ESG measures citywide, Nanjing has developed a scalable, replicable urban green transition model for other Chinese cities to reference.
