ZTE Chairman Fang Rong: Technology for Good, co-creating a green BRICS sustainable future

ZTE Chairman Fang Rong, Technology for Good, Co-creating a Green BRICS Sustainable Future.

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• ZTE Chairman Fang Rong highlighted the company's commitment to sustainable development, aligning with global efforts to build a "green BRICS" by promoting carbon reduction, energy savings and environmental protection.
• ZTE's "Technology for Good" philosophy supports bridging the digital divide and fostering economic growth through advanced network services, particularly in BRICS countries like South Africa and Egypt.
• ZTE strengthens its focus on corporate governance, ensuring sustainable technological development with technology ethics.

ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), which positions itself as a global leading provider of integrated ICT solutions, today announced that its Chairman, Fang Rong, was invited to attend the 2025 BRICS Women's Leadership Forum and delivered remarks on the theme "Technology for Good, Co-creating a Green and Sustainable BRICS Future". At the event, she shared the company's insights and practices in the field of sustainable development.

Fang pointed out that since the industrial revolution, human society has experienced rapid development but has also faced challenges such as extreme climate events, wealth inequality and the digital divide. In 2004, the United Nations Global Compact introduced the concept of ESG (environmental, social and governance), which redefined the criteria for corporate success, moving beyond traditional profit maximisation to focus on harmonious development across environmental, social and governance dimensions.

ZTE has consistently elevated sustainable development to a core strategic priority, embedding its principles throughout the organisation. The company adopts a structured and progressive interpretation of the ESG framework, advancing from governance to social, and ultimately to environmental. ZTE considers robust governance to be the foundation for building a resilient, century-standing enterprise. It remains committed to fostering social harmony that delivers meaningful benefits to present generations, while upholding environmental stewardship as a long-term obligation to future generations.

In terms of environmental, Fang emphasised that a healthy ecological environment is the most universal form of public welfare. ZTE is committed to paving a "green digital path" through four key dimensions to drive the global carbon neutrality goal.

First, ZTE focuses on reducing its own emissions to achieve "green operation". Through the implementation of "5G + smart manufacturing", the company's Nanjing Binjiang Factory has reduced carbon emissions by 29%, earning recognition as China's first "five-star 5G factory". Over the past three years, the company has reduced its carbon emissions by more than 27 million tons, equivalent to planting 300 million trees.

Second, ZTE supports its upstream partners in building a "green supply chain", helping over 150 suppliers complete dual-carbon audits.

ZTE Chairman Fang Rong, Technology for Good, Co-creating a Green BRICS Sustainable Future.

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Third, the company assists its downstream customers in reducing carbon emissions by creating a "green digital infrastructure", helping global operators, including those in BRICS countries, save over 10 billion kWh of electricity annually.

Finally, ZTE explores over 100 5G + green innovation projects across 18 sectors through "green empowerment". The global authority in carbon ratings, CDP, has awarded ZTE the highest rating of A for two consecutive years, a distinction shared by only two Chinese companies.

In terms of social, Fang emphasised that ZTE upholds the principle of "Technology for Good" and is committed to bridging the digital divide, promoting global digital inclusion and demonstrating corporate responsibility. Through digital and intelligent innovation, the company actively supports rural revitalisation, education, healthcare and humanitarian aid.

In BRICS countries like South Africa and Egypt, ZTE has helped improve local communication infrastructure by providing advanced network services, creating numerous job opportunities and contributing to the development of local livelihoods. Additionally, ZTE is committed to building a diverse, inclusive and caring corporate culture that fosters the well-being and positive energy of female employees. This dedication has earned ZTE a spot on Forbes World's Top Female-Friendly Company list. In 2024, ZTE partnered with over 120 suppliers to participate in the United Nations Women's "Promoting Women's Career Development" initiative, extending its responsibility to the entire industry.

In terms of governance, Fang emphasised that sound governance is the foundation for a company's long-term success and stable development. As the global environment becomes increasingly complex, compliance has become a prerequisite for sustainable international operations. As one of the first Chinese companies to "go global", compliance has become a hallmark of ZTE. Fang summarised three key practices:

First, treating compliance as a cornerstone of strategy and a "top priority". Second, implementing a strategy where "culture serves as the compass, rules are internalised as the navigator and digitalisation acts as the accelerator". Third, ZTE independently developed China's first "Enterprise Compliance Service System" (ECSS), which embeds compliance requirements directly into workflows to create a "seamless" governance system.

Furthermore, technologies such as AI and large language models are accelerating global changes but also raise ethical risks such as privacy violations and algorithmic bias. ZTE has established a Technology Ethics Committee, which regularly reports to the board of directors. The company has implemented safeguards at multiple levels, including organisational support, system development and review and evaluation, to "rein in" technology ethics and ensure safe, reliable and inclusive development.

In recent years, ZTE's performance in ESG has gained widespread recognition, earning the Gold Medal from the international authority EcoVadis and ranking in the top 4% of all companies evaluated globally. The company has also received honours such as the "World Internet Conference Outstanding Contribution Award".

Moving forward, ZTE will continue to uphold long-term principles, persist in its "Technology for Good" philosophy and collaborate with various sectors of society. Through digital and intelligent innovation, the company aims to jointly build a responsible ecosystem for the ESG era and create a better future together.

The 2025 BRICS Women's Leadership Forum, jointly hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the China Chamber of International Commerce, aims to actively promote economic and trade co-operation and cultural exchanges among BRICS countries, foster mutual learning among civilisations, empower women economically and provide a communication platform for accumulating pragmatic outcomes ahead of the BRICS leaders' meetings.