In this conference, new members of the Future 500 companies in China, Wenzhou TengXu Group, Senluo Ecology Group and Haier Group, were awarded certificates by the Vice Chairman of SCNPC Jiang Zhenghua, the Chairman and President of Future 500 Global as the “Future 500 Company” following Guodian Nanjing Automation Company, Sinopec and DHV China.

In the welcome dinner reception on October 23, the chairman of Future 500 China, the chairman and president of Future 500 Global addressed the welcoming remarks together. The chairman of Future 500 Global & ex-president of Mitsubishi Electric (US), Mr. Tachi Kiuchi, reminded us that war did not bring us peace & security, agriculture business did not feed the world, a high-tech did not bring us leisure time, economy did not level the playing field, and wealth never trickled down…but resources are depleted, our planet is in critical condition. Everybody is worrying about our future. And then he mentioned 9 questions to present to all of the attendees: What does the future you want to look like? Why does it seem that life gets more & more stressful with each thing we invent to save time? Is there an ecological limit to economic growth? Is egoism the reason for human failure? Is the current economic system inherently corrupt?...

At 8:30 a.m. of October 24, Jin Zhouying, the chairman of the future 500 China & the director of Center for Technology Innovation and Strategy Studies (CTISS) of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), gave the opening announcement. She pointed out that it was the 4th conference of Future 500 in China.
The first one is in February 2004, there were only more than 30 attendees, and discussed mainly why we need to introduce the Future 500 mechanism to China; in October 2004, the “Future 500 China Forum” convened in Beijing, there were 100 participants and focused on “The scientific approach to development and the enterprise of the future” and most of speakers were experts & academicians; for the “2005 Future 500 China Forum” in October, there were 170 participants including experts from 8 countries, the theme was “Corporate triple responsibility and the harmonious society”; for the “2006 Future 500 International Forum”, there were more than 220 participants, including more than 40 delegates from the multinational companies, the theme will be “Sustainable development and new business modes” and most of the keynotes & roundtable speakers come from companies this time.
It shows that the mission of shaping future sustainable enterprises and the awareness of the triple bottom line has penetrated into Chinese enterprises.
The chairman of this conference, Wang Tongsan, academic member of CASS, gave the greeting remarks. He pointed out that the forum was held in the first year of the “11th five-year plan” of China. After carrying the “11th five-year plan” in China, not only the GDP will be double, but also Chinese enterprises should be more strong by integrated with the global management. In this process, Chinese enterprises should follow the mission of the Future 500, namely not only improves economic performance, but also achieves significant contributions on social responsibility and environmental protection simultaneously. It’s the characteristic of the Future 500, as well as it represents the right direction of development of Chinese enterprises.
Jiang Zhenghua, the vice chairman of SCNPC, gave a speech focusing on “promoting Future 500 project to contribute for achieving a harmonious society and a harmonious world”. He said: “I have ever said during the Beijing forum last autumn that the Future 500 has emerged as a pointer in the right direction for future development, it represents the right direction of development in this post-industrialization era and is the answer to the world-wide call for sustainable development as well as the orientation of decision-making of strategic development in China. During the past year, the activities of the Future 500 make good progresses and buildup our confidence. I believe we can get further gains in this conference and the undertakings of the Future 500 will be flourishing. At the same time, I appreciate the focus of Future 500 Forum is same direction with the China’s national strategic development objectives. Perceiving from the 20th century, the tendency of world’s development is very evident that the enterprises should be developed in the direction of environmental friendly type, scientific and technologic oriented type, resource saving type and social harmonious type. China has made many strategic decision-makings and adopted also lots of effective policies and measures in the field of saving resources & ameliorating environment. Although we have gotten many achievements in these domains, but there are still many problems, … I believe that the Future 500 can put forward foreseeingly good ideas & good suggestions, which face the future, promote further development of our country, advance with all of the world by all means. At the same time, the mechanism of the Future 500 will be helpful for the sustainable development of the Chinese enterprises actually.
Feng Zhijun, the vice chairman of Protection Committee for Environment and Resources of SCNPC, figured greetings to 2006 Future 500 international forum. He said: “there are near 30 years after our reform and opening the door to the outside world, we should review each 30 years. Self-reflection is the characteristic of the human being and we had to review our behaviors, so we bring forward the scientific approaches to development. To make overall plans and take all factors into consideration through the scientific approaches to development, firstly, to change the notion of development; secondly, to innovate the development model; thirdly, improve the quality of development. The objective of doing these 3 things is to obtain 5 goals, namely creating a“comparatively well-off family”which characters are resource saving, environmental friendly, high quality of economy, innovative independently and harmonious society. The 3 aspects mentioned above need us to make 3 transformations either entrepreneurs, governmental officers or every confrere: change the mode of economic growth; change the mode of the social consumption, and change the thinking mode of culture which is opposite to nature originally. It’s very crucial. Nowadays, China runs to this kind of stage, she cannot but change her original development model and innovate new model.
We have got a common cognition during the conference, namely to build up the scientific approaches to development is a new historic landmark for social economic development of China. And the principal part to change the mode of the economic growth is enterprise, so only when the notion, the culture and the business model of enterprise accord with the principles of sustainable development, the national development strategy can be carried into execution in enterprise and change economic & social development model.
Introduction the Future 500 mechanism to China provides actually a scientific platform for enterprise to carry out the scientific approaches to development and the sustainable development of enterprise. Nevertheless, to promote corporate citizens responsibility is a laborious and long-term pursuit, either for China or for the world. Implementing the social and environmental responsibility into the enterprise will be the key point to fulfill the objectives of the “11th five-year plan”, and it needs supports vigorously from the government and the leaders in all level specially, and also the excellent enterprises & entrepreneurs with the keen awareness play a leadership role to pilot the transformation of corporate practices.
This is a particular meeting. The conference fell into “The Corporate Sustainability Pyramid --- Lessons from the Rainforest & Business”; “SUSTAINABILITY IN CHINA: TOWARD THE 2008 OLYMPICS --- A panel discussion on China’s progress and the path ahead”; and 6 great roundtable discussions, including “Triple Bottom Line and Sustainability”, “The Business Case for Sustainability”, “Performance Across the Supply Chain --- How To Drive Supply Chain Excellence in Labor and the Environment”, “Innovation and Leadership”, “Standards Harmonization for Triple Bottom Line”, “Trust and Partners --- Building Harmonious Relationships Among Stakeholders”.
It facilitated the communications and reaction among up and down of the podium, keynote speakers and roundtable discussion guests. The ambience of the forum was highly interactive and in addition to 28 keynote and main speakers, more than 20 roundtable discussions, as well as 38 audiences took part in the dialogue of the conference.
The Future 500 China decided to shape different examples of “good” company by industries. We hope more enterprises can be familiar and predominate new culture and value of the future enterprises of the 21st century, become a pioneer member of Future 500 in China, play a leadership role in the global shift towards new business models, improve your company’s reputation in society and contribute to the cause of building a harmonious society through responsible business practices.