From November 4th to 6th, the 2023 International Youth Sustainable Innovation Summit (YSS 2023) with the theme of "Deconstructing Innovation and Driving the Future" was held in the Carbon Neutral Experimental Park of Dameisha Vanke Center, Shenzhen Biosphere 3. The summit brings together nearly 100 outstanding creators in the field of sustainable innovation from all over the world, covering internationally renowned brands, government and enterprise leaders,

Caption: The summit sign-in site

international investors, NGOs in the field of sustainable environmental protection and international outstanding youth representatives, aiming to stimulate the innovation potential of global youth and provide innovative solutions to environmental and sustainable development issues. During the summit, the International Youth Sustainable Innovation Exhibition will be held at the same time.

Under the guidance of the China Association for Science and Technology, the summit was hosted by the China Society of Territorial Economists, supported by the Vanke Public Welfare Foundation, and organized by the Carbon Neutrality Professional Committee of the Chinese Society of Territorial Economists and Chuangheyuan (Beijing) Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. The summit focused on sustainable fashion, sustainable transportation, sustainable lifestyle, sustainable ideology and sustainable human settlements, and actively sought innovative solutions to promote sustainable social development.

Caption: The scene of the event

Caption: Dialogue scene

Caption: Tian Chengchuan, Director of the Publicity and Education Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, delivered a speech

Tian Chengchuan, Director of the Publicity and Education Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said in his speech that sustainable innovation is a comprehensive concept that encompasses all aspects of the economy, society and the environment. In the economic realm, sustainable innovation requires us to explore new models and new technologies to promote the development of a green economy. In the social field, sustainable innovation requires us to pay attention to the public interest and social equity, and promote the harmonious development of society. 

Caption: Erik Solheim, former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, delivers a speech

Former UN Under-Secretary-General and former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Eric Solheim shared many examples of Chinese youth entrepreneurship and highly praised their achievements. He mentioned that Alibaba, whose headquarters in Hangzhou has grown from a small summit room with only six college students, has grown into a global giant with thousands of employees. The leadership of these young entrepreneurs has contributed to the rapid development of China's economy. He further emphasized that China's clean energy sector has also been actively promoted by youth entrepreneurship. The establishment and development of many large clean energy companies are inseparable from the innovative spirit and keen insight of young people. He pointed out that China has 70 to 80 percent of the world's sustainable clean energy technologies, and these innovative energy technologies have been widely used and promoted in China.

Caption: Liu Yanhua, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Honorary Director of the National Climate Change Expert Committee, delivered a speech

Liu Yanhua, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Honorary Director of the National Climate Change Expert Committee, said in a video speech that youth play an important role in sustainable development. The International Youth Sustainable Innovation Summit is a grand event that brings together young elites from all over the world, and it is also a platform of opportunities to showcase our future development. He encouraged young people to strengthen scientific and technological innovation, make breakthroughs in new energy, clean technology, intelligent manufacturing and other fields, and contribute more solutions to sustainable development. 

Caption: Qin Yuhu, vice president of the Investment Advisory Committee of the Investment Association of China, delivered an important speech at the scene

Qin Yuhu, vice president of the Investment Advisory Committee of the China Investment Association, said in his speech that the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that it is necessary to adhere to the path of new industrialization, informatization, urbanization and agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics, promote the deep integration of informatization and industrialization, the benign interaction between industrialization and urbanization, and the coordination of urbanization and agricultural modernization.  The development of the new "four modernizations" is not only the development of sustainable talents, but also the development of sustainable projects. Local governments, other investors and operators need to give full play to their subjective initiative and innovative thinking, and all parties should be proactive and linked, so as to jointly promote sustainable economic and social development, and also promote the high-quality development of China's modernization.

Caption: Liu Zhongqin, chairman of the presidium and researcher of the China Society of Territorial Economics, delivered a speech on the spot

Liu Zhongqin, chairman of the presidium and researcher of the China Society of Territorial Economics, said at the summit that the YSS summit aims to promote the exchange and cooperation of the global sustainable innovation industry, encourage and lead enterprises to participate in the innovation field for the purpose of sustainable development, improve the influence of Chinese enterprises in the global sustainable innovation industry, and provide more valuable opinions and solutions in design, invention, intelligent manufacturing, production and other aspects of various industries, and improve the global competitiveness of the industry and economy. It is hoped that the leadership of Chinese youth in the field of sustainable academic research will be fully leveraged, and the achievements of youth low-carbon innovation will be promoted internationally, so as to empower various industries to accelerate the wide application of sustainable innovation.

Caption: Nils Bader, founder of the Green Future Club and founder of the Green Product Award, speaks

It is worth mentioning that Nils Bader, the founder of the Green Future Club and the founder of the Green Product Award, showcased the excellent sustainable design products of the 2023 winners of the Green Product Award, and proposed how to make more sustainable solutions to product design for current environmental problems. He encourages suppliers of plant-based natural raw materials to work closely with designers, which is why he founded the Green Future Club, which is dedicated to sustainability and economic transformation.

Caption: Wang Shi, Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vanke Group and Chairman of Vanke Foundation, delivered a video speech

In his opening speech, Wang Shi, Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vanke Group and Chairman of Vanke Foundation, pointed out that he hopes to promote scientific and technological innovation, low-carbon environmental protection and vigorous innovation consciousness within the international scope, and promote the popularization and application of innovative achievements, so as to help solve the world's environmental problems from the root cause and promote the development of global sustainable development.

Mao Qingguo, director of Shenzhen Ecological Environment Intelligent Control Center, said at the meeting that Shenzhen is a young city, a city full of vitality and innovative spirit. In recent years, Shenzhen has thoroughly implemented the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", actively practiced the green and low-carbon development strategy, continuously deepened the reform in the field of ecological civilization, and promoted the construction of ecological civilization to achieve new results, and the level of green development has been at the forefront of the country. It has been awarded the National Sustainable Development Agenda Innovation Demonstration Zone, the first batch of low-carbon pilot cities in China, and the first batch of national climate investment and financing pilot cities.

Caption: Ribbon-cutting ceremony

At the summit, the "International Youth Sustainable Innovation Think Tank" was inaugurated and an expert hiring ceremony was held. The think tank will provide high-quality consulting services, innovative strategies and unique solutions to local governments, enterprises and institutions by providing research, consulting services, training courses and seminars. Helping to develop the sustainable drivers and leaders of tomorrow. The summit also launched the International Youth Sustainable Innovation Competition.

During the three days, a number of international youths shared their views in various forms such as keynote speeches, high-end dialogues, and roundtables around the themes of "Opportunities and Changes in Sustainable Ecological Innovation in the Global Carbon Neutrality Process", "Future Path of Sustainable Ecological Innovation", "Exploring the Sustainability of Fashion Life", and "International Youth Sustainable Innovation Summit-International Youth Branch".

Caption: The exhibition site

Caption: Works on display

The International Sustainable Innovation Exhibition, held at the same time as the summit, brought together outstanding young innovators from all over the world to showcase their breakthroughs and achievements in the field of sustainable development, including the exhibition of works of the IF Award, the exhibition of green products, the exhibition of works of international excellent designer studios, and the exhibition of sustainable innovative materials.