At a salon event in Beijing on August 10, co-organized by Sina Finance and the China International Chamber of Commerce, Geely Holding Group's Senior Director of Sustainable Development, Yang Yuntong, shared insights on the company's long-term commitment to ESG. Since launching its formal sustainable development strategy in 2021, Geely has built a dedicated strategic framework and compliance system, earning multiple high-level ESG ratings in recent years.
Addressing the pain points in the automotive supply chain, Yang noted that the industry's complexity far exceeds others. A single vehicle comprises 20,000 parts, involving over 10,000 upstream suppliers. The responsibility of a leading automaker spans the entire lifecycle, from raw mineral materials and component production to vehicle manufacturing, logistics, distribution, retail sales, consumer use, and battery recycling, creating immense pressure for carbon emissions and energy management across the full chain.
In her view, automakers' sustainability obligations extend across the complete vehicle lifecycle: "From mining raw materials and components, to vehicle assembly, logistics, distribution, and dealerships, then to the aftermarket and even into the hands of consumers—every step you take involves energy consumption and carbon emissions that we are responsible for. Even after 15 years of use, when batteries are scrapped and need closed-loop recycling, the lead automaker must take charge."
She explained that to tackle supply chain ESG management challenges, Geely pioneered a dedicated AESGC sustainable supply chain system. "A stands for ability, ESG stands for ESG, and C stands for carbon. This system covers five dimensions. We embed ESG rating standards and overseas regulations into the entire supply chain process," Yang said. As overseas regulatory policies evolve, Geely continuously updates its AESGC framework, using a core structure to adapt to various national rules and navigate compliance issues for global expansion.
"In May of this year, Geely, as the founding chair, partnered with the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers to launch the Global Electric Vehicle Sustainable Development Initiative (EVSA). Partners including Changan, SAIC, BYD, Chery, NIO, XPeng, CATL, Autoliv, Bosch, Yanfeng, BAIC, and Seres have joined in response," Yang detailed. She elaborated on EVSA's core future direction under Geely Holding Group's leadership, noting that when Chinese automakers go global, overseas markets often label them uniformly as Chinese enterprises, diluting brand identity. A single company's reputational risk can easily drag down the entire industry's image. Therefore, the sector must unite, jointly shaping the overall overseas perception of China's automotive industry.
Currently, China's new energy vehicles hold market influence. Leveraging platforms like EVSA can unite top Chinese OEMs, allowing lead enterprises to drive the entire supply chain toward coordinated carbon reduction and green transformation. This deeper engagement in international rule-making will continuously enhance the global voice of China's automotive industry in sustainable development.