The China International Import Expo (CIIE) is becoming greener! As China is getting more focused on its carbon peak and neutrality goals, sustainable development has been a hot subject at CIIE.

One of the keywords of the fifth CIIE this year is "low-carbon." Many global companies have been aiming at "zero-carbon" when setting up their exhibition stands. 

"Last year, we already made a 'zero-carbon booth.' This year, we continued to do that because we really want to be the pioneer for the circular economy," Holly Lei, president of Covestro China, told CGTN.

"Everything over here can be either reused or recycled. And then, small things, like our staff, we encourage them to take public transportation. We also use carbon credits, that means we pay for that to achieve the carbon-zero booth," Lei said.

May Yin, vice president of Corporate Affairs at Boehringer Ingelheim China, said the company had submitted its candidacy for the CIIE Green Booth Awards for sustainable environmental protection.

"For the booth, we selected 100-percent recyclable materials to reduce waste and pollutants as much as possible, and high-quality sound and photoelectric equipment to reduce noise and energy consumption," Yin said.

Attendees can also contribute to the carbon neutrality goal of CIIE by participating in an online activity. 

Each attendee can enter the city they came from and the transportation they took to get to Shanghai. The system then calculates the carbon emissions used. 

This activity helps participants achieve carbon offsets by purchasing carbon assets.

Attendees need to pay a maximum of 1 yuan (about $0.14), with the rest covered by a third-party organization, to achieve a carbon offset on traffic. 

After the process, they can receive a digital certificate of carbon neutrality and a chance at a lucky draw. The prizes include CIIE pins, bags and mascot stickers. 

CIIE has been cooperating with professional institutions on achieving carbon neutrality at the event. According to its data, the expo achieved a carbon emission reduction of over 43,714 tonnes last year. 

CIIE will continue promoting its zero carbon and zero plastics campaign this year. 

Cover image: Liu Shaozhen