On September 28, the Second World Green Design Conference opened in Shanghai's Huangpu Riverside as a core forum of the 2026 World Design Capital Conference (WDCC).

With the theme "Green Design Empowering Sustainable Development," the event was jointly hosted by the World Green Design Organization (WGDO), the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, and East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), with An Dadi, Director of ECUST's Participatory Community Research Center, serving as moderator.

Nearly 300 participants from around the world attended, including government representatives, international organizations, academicians, experts, leading enterprises, and university delegates, to discuss the development of international green design standards and share outcomes of green innovation practices.

Opening Ceremony: Global Guests Discuss the Future of Green Design

Wang Jinnan, Chairman of the WGDO and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, delivered a speech titled "Building a Clean and Beautiful World Through Green Design." He reviewed the WGDO's achievements, articulated the core concept of progressing from a Beautiful China to a clean and beautiful world, and called for accelerating the construction of a comprehensive global green design system.

He emphasized advancing the development of international green design standards and mutual recognition between Chinese and European standards, strengthening talent cultivation and industry evaluation systems, integrating green design throughout the entire industrial lifecycle, and leveraging international cooperation to unite global efforts in supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Janos Pasztor, Vice Chairman of the WGDO and former UN Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Change, noted in a video address that global warming combined with declining Earth albedo has turned extreme climate from a "future threat" into a present reality. He stressed that cities will be the decisive battleground for climate stability and that green design should serve as a source solution, integrating urban form, materials, greening, and institutions as a whole.

Citing Shunde District in Foshan, recognized as a "World Green Design Capital," he stated: "Sustainable cities will not emerge naturally; they must be created through systematic design."

Yu Wenjie, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, noted in his address that green and low-carbon development has become the direction of global industrial transformation, and green design is an important lever for promoting green industrial transition and implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

He stated that Shanghai is accelerating its development as a world-class design capital, promoting green factories and zero-carbon parks, guiding enterprises to integrate green principles throughout R&D and production processes, and proactively aligning with international green rules. He expressed hope for two-way integration of international standards and Shanghai's industrial practices, and for cultivating green design engineering talent.

Xuan Fuzhen, President of ECUST, stated that the university, guided by its "Double First-Class" initiative, established the School of Energy in July this year, pursuing interdisciplinary innovation in future chemical engineering, green fuels, and energy storage. The university jointly released international green design standards with the WGDO and partnered with leading enterprises including China Energy Investment Corporation and China Resources Recycling Group to advance standardization and industrial integration.

He outlined three priority areas for future cooperation: first, deepening research collaboration to accelerate the translation of results into applications; second, deepening standards research and promoting practical application and demonstration; and third, deepening collaborative talent cultivation, expanding international cooperation, and developing interdisciplinary professionals.

Keynote Speeches: Empowering a Clean and Beautiful World Through Green Design

Lu Yonglong, Vice Chairman of the WGDO and Foreign Member of the European Academy of Sciences, pointed out that innovative concepts are a key driver of global sustainable development. Drawing on international cases such as the Davos Forum and Japan's innovation centers, he explained how innovation drives industrial transformation and regional development, emphasizing the need to break down disciplinary boundaries, promote cross-fertilization of science and art, design and engineering, and cultivate young scientists and designers with international perspectives.

Shen Lei, Chairman of the World Green Design Capital Committee and Academician of the European Academy of Engineering, stated that over 120 countries worldwide are advancing green design, and cities consume 70% of global energy and contribute 80% of carbon emissions, making them the core of green transition. China has set a clear carbon peak target for 2030, aiming to reduce carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 15% compared to 2025, achieve 25% non-fossil energy share, and build a "1+N" policy framework.

Using the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City as an example, he shared its demonstration experience in industry-city integration, green development, smart cities, and international cooperation. Currently, Guangzhou's Baiyun District, Jinhua's Jinyi District in Zhejiang, Shunde in Foshan, and Sette in France are actively advancing World Green Design Capital initiatives.

Jonas Patrik Berglund, co-founder of Denmark's KB Architects, stated that the concept of ecological waterway construction is undergoing iterative upgrades. Using the Pinglu Canal project as an example, he explained that the project, supported by advanced green design solutions, optimized the waterway excavation depth from 3.9 meters to 3.2 meters, minimizing disturbance to native ecosystems. It also deployed 25 AI monitoring stations for round-the-clock real-time monitoring of fish activity, water quality, and shoreline erosion.

He emphasized that ecological engineering solutions cannot be copied from generic templates but must be tailored to local conditions, building a data-driven dynamic adjustment mechanism to ensure long-term ecological benefits.

Achievements Released: Multiple Standards and Platforms Launched

Li Wenzhu, Deputy Secretary-General of the WGDO Standards Committee and Associate Professor at ECUST's School of Art Design and Media, presented the "Progress Report on International Green Design Standards." The Shenzhen University Benyuan Design Research Center and the China Electronics Technology Energy Saving Association received standards committee plaques, while the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning and Shanghai Jintang New Materials received plaques as participating compilation units.

The "Green Design Standards Research Institute" was officially launched, with representatives from ten co-founding institutions including ECUST Vice President Yan Haifeng and Institute Chairman Jiao Yang jointly initiating it. The conference released the "Initiative to Promote China-EU Green Design Standard Alignment and Mutual Recognition, Empowering Green and Low-Carbon Industrial Synergy."

A Metaverse Interactive Imaging Joint Laboratory was unveiled. Wang Zhengzhong, President of Shanghai Changhui Investment Management Group, released the Chery & Changhui Intelligent Control AI project. The "2026 Robotics Industry Sustainable Development Report" was jointly compiled and released by the WGDO Beijing Representative Office and the Central University of Finance and Economics Sustainable Standards Research Center.

In talent development, the conference launched a green design engineer training program cooperation, with WGDO Director-General Assistant Jiao Yang and SGS Training Center China Director Li Hongwei exchanging signed agreements on-site. A certification ceremony for green design engineers was held, with over 40 professionals receiving "Green Design Engineer" certificates. The conference also completed green design capability level evaluation certifications.

Eight institutions received enterprise green design capability level evaluation certificates: Huang Zhida Design (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Lantian Design Group, Hangzhou Taoma Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Xijia Innovation Co., Ltd., Shanghai Changhui Ruijia Robotics Co., Ltd., Sichuan Yibin Plus Packaging Materials Co., Ltd., Guangdong Industrial Design Association, and Shanghai Moma Industrial Product Design Co., Ltd. Arvea Marieni, Senior Advisor of the WGDO, presented the certificates.

In the education evaluation dimension, eight institutions received green design education capability level evaluation certificates: Tsinghua University Academy of Arts & Design, Beijing University of Chemical Technology International Education College, Nanjing University of the Arts School of Industrial Design, China Academy of Art, Beijing Forestry University School of Art and Design, Wuhan University of Technology School of Art and Design, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, and Guangxi Normal University School of Design.

Industry Sharing: Seven Sectors Discuss Green Transition Pathways

Li Jian'an, Chairman of the Green Sustainable Hospital Committee and Academician of the US National Academy of Medicine, introduced via video that the committee has mobilized over 80 institutions to launch a green pharmacy initiative and will advance international standard development, green hospital pilot construction, and green design award applications.

Xia Bing, Executive Secretary-General of the Green Tourism Committee, released a report on the green transition of the ice and snow industry, interpreting the industry's green development standards framework. Li Qi, Vice Chairman of the CCUS Committee and Researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, presented thoughts on building a green standards system for CCUS. Wang Wendong, Vice Chairman of the Intelligent Manufacturing Committee, shared Lenovo's green intelligent manufacturing practices, explaining the "Five-Use Design Concept" and pyramid model methodology.

Li Youwei, Secretary-General of the AI + Interior and Architecture Committee, analyzed new industry trends in AI-empowered interior design and introduced pathways for implementing international green design standards in segmented scenarios. Ding Chunfa, Secretary-General of the Innovation Supply Chain Committee and founder of Dagoofang, proposed a "born global" development approach for green industry going abroad. The Green Mining Committee, represented by Professor Zhu Guangyou of Yangtze University, shared green technology practices in the mining sector.

This conference, grounded in Shanghai's platform and embracing a global vision, brought together international forces to advance the co-construction of international green design standards, establish a green design capability level evaluation system, and deepen the cultivation and international mutual recognition of green design engineers. It simultaneously promoted Green Leaf product certification and the selection of international green design awards, setting benchmarks for green innovation, advancing standards implementation, industrial collaboration, and talent pipeline development, integrating green and low-carbon concepts deeply into production practices across industries, and injecting continuous design momentum into global sustainable development.