2016 Integral Conversation calls for regional efforts to achieve sustainability

Guilin, 19 November 2016 – Cooperation is key to sustainability in an increasingly interconnected world, said experts at the 2016 Integral Conversation in Guilin, China.

More than 300 international business leaders and influential scholars engaged in high-level discussions on sustainable development at the annual event, which took place from 17 to 19 November under the theme of “Connectivity & Sustainability”. They explored how countries across the world could come together and tackle challenges arising from economic development in the era of globalization. 

“Conference attendees should spend time listening to different stakeholders’ needs and to share intelligence in building a sustainable community. I am excited to meet so many people who share the same mind-set as us at this year’s Integral Conversation. Developed under the concept of Connectivity & Sustainability, we hope that we could leverage this conference to push sustainability forward.” said Marjorie Yang, Chairman of Esquel Group. 

Long Yu, Artistic Director and Chief Conductor, China Philharmonic Orchestra, shared his views on how to cultivate childrens’ imaginations and creativity through music during the welcome dinner.

Teresa Yang, Vice Chairman of Esquel Group, said that economic development and social progress are not a zero-sum game - if new perspectives are adopted in pursuit of a more balanced approach, especially for conserving nature. She envisions that collaboration between parties would help overcome the challenges ahead and said that the Integral Conversation is the platform to gather insights and the latest thoughts from business leaders, academics and the communities.

Xinhong Fan, Deputy Mayor of Guilin underscored his support of the conference during his welcome remarks. He said he appreciates that the 2016 Integral Conversation, now in its third year, has brought forth robust conversations on sustainable development, which is in line with Guilin’s development agenda - green development.

Stan Shih, Chairman of Stans Foundation, Chairman of NCAF, Co-founder and Honorary Chairman of Acer Group, highlighted the importance of “Wang Dao”, (Kingly Way of Governance) to set the leadership’s minds in creating value for society and said he hoped to bring forth more positive and powerful changes to the world. Through the continuous value creation and the balance of interests of all stakeholders, shared values would be created and contributed to sustainable development.

Established in 2014 by Esquel Group, a leading global textile and apparel manufacturer, the 2016 Integral Conversation provides a platform for discussion of how different regions across the world could pursue sustainable development in a more connected world.

Through keynote speeches and panel discussions, experts shared their insights into sustainability in relation to culture in architecture, healthcare, education and innovation:

• Vijay Vaitheeswaran, China Business Editor and Shanghai Bureau Chief, The Economist, hosted the opening plenary session under the theme “Harnessing the Business Sector to Shape a Long-Term Sustainability Agenda”.

The panel discussed the approaches that business corporations could adopt to pursue social responsibility and achieve sustainability through various aspects, such as the supply chain. The speakers were Rose Marcario, President and CEO, Patagonia; John Slosar, Chairman, John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Limited and Swire Pacific Limited; and Geoff Yang, Founding Partner & Managing Director, Redpoint Ventures.

• Truong Dinh Tuyen, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister of Vietnam and Jun Ma, Director, Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE) discussed ways of embedding sustainability into the National Development Agenda, by which governments should take up the role of advocacy on policy and education levels.

• Clifford Pearson, Director, University of Southern California’s American Academy, China, hosted the panel on “Culture in Architecture”. Speakers shared their perspectives on masterpieces by the legendary architect I.M. Pei and discussed how Pei has inspired them. They also shared thoughts on how to fully integrate human beings and nature in order to achieve sustainability.

The speakers were Li Chung (Sandi) Pei, Partner, Pei Partnership Architects; Calvin Tsao, Principal, Tsao & McKown Architects; and Jianfei Zhu, Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning, University of Melbourne, Australia.

• The “Healthcare” panel was hosted by Xudong Yin, Chairman, Novartis Group (China). The dynamic panel discussed how to improve information transparency through sharing collaborative intelligence. The discussion aimed to enable global healthcare organizations to forecast and control diseases through more efficient and accurate approaches.

Speakers comprised York Chow, Former Secretary for Food and Health, HKSAR; Former Chairperson, Equal Opportunities Commission, Hong Kong; Una-May O’Reilly, Founder and co-leader of the AnyScale Learning For All (ALFA) group, MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory; and Joseph Tucker, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of UNC Project-China.

• Leong Cheung, Executive Director, Charities and Community, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, hosted the “Education” panel.

The interactive section focused on how young generation can harness internet and technology to learn and innovate. Speakers were Harold Abelson, Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT; Yuhyun Park, Founder and Chair, infollutionZERO Ahn-Sei Foundation, Researcher, Nanyang Technological University; and Siu Cheung Kong, Professor, the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology and Director, Centre for Learning, Teaching and Technology, the Education University of Hong Kong. The panel concluded that more interaction and communication between children and their parents are needed to drive the physical and mental development of children.

• The “Innovation” panel was hosted by Xiaolai Luo, General Manager, Woven Fabric Mill, Esquel Guangdong.

The panel discussed how corporations could groom the new generation and encourage start-ups through fostering technology and innovation. Speakers were Tuan-Anh Nguyen, Country General Manager, Grab Vietnam, Ami Dror, Founder & CEO of LeapLearner, and Albert Ni.

• Albert Ni hosted the closing panel “Sustainability and the Young Generation” with university students from China, Malaysia and Vietnam.

In Closing Remarks for the Integral Conversation 2016, John Cheh, Vice Chairman & CEO, Esquel Group, shared the latest updates on the Integral Project. Located at Jiumeiqiao, Guilin, Integral Project showcases the concept of green workplace, low carbon emissions, and energy-saving production, demonstrating Esquel’s pursuit of sustainability and perfection. 

“To protect the environment, we have to be a game changer with respect to nature. That’s why we are here.” Dr Cheh said, “I believe that our discussion in the past few days has paved the foundation for sustainability development in future. I hope you found this year’s conference insightful and inspiring, and I look forward to seeing you in next year’s Integral Conversation.”

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The Integral Conversation conference brings together experts from a wide range of fields to explore a more holistic approach to sustainable development. The aim is to inspire enterprises, community leaders, policymakers and individuals to take action in harmony to balance all aspects of life. The dialogue will take place in Guilin, a city known for its well-preserved stunning landscape and waters. This location will provide a backdrop for the meaningful dialogues while allowing us to reflect on the future of sustainable development.

Each year, more than 300 experts from the public, private and academic sectors attended the annual events. The first Integral Conversation was successfully held on November 18-19, 2014 in Guilin, China, in an effort to explore the next development model for China. The second Integral Conversation was held on November 5-7, 2015, and explored how holistic approaches to such basics as clothing, food, urban living and mobility can contribute to sustainable development.

In 2011, Esquel Group acquired the Guilin Yinhai Textile Group, which has a company history of 53 years, and established Guilin Esquel Textiles Co. Ltd. The Esquel Group is now developing its “Integral Project” in Guilin. With an investment of CNY 2 billion, the Group aims to build an industrial tourism ecological park in Guilin’s beautiful natural surroundings. Incorporated with the concept of “ten suchnesses”, this significant new industrial base in Guilin will demonstrate a new development model for the textile industry that is human- and ecology-oriented.

Founded in 1978, Esquel Group is a global textile and apparel manufacturer with a vertically-integrated supply chain that straddles from cotton to retailing. Esquel employs a 57,000 multinational workforce, with manufacturing facilities in China, Malaysia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, and merchandising offices servicing markets worldwide. Esquel manufactures over 100 million pieces of garments annually for leading brands including Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Nike.

Long an advocate in innovation, environmental protection and corporate social responsibility, Esquel aspires to make a difference in the textile and apparel industry and contribute to the well-being of a wider community.

For more details, please visit 2016 Integral Conversation.

Media contact:

Mokka Mok
mmok2@webershandwick.com

(852) 2533 9971

 

Dorothy Xu
dxu@webershandwick.com

(852) 2533 9939 

Long Yu, Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of China Philharmonic Orchestra, shared views on sustainability development of music and young generation.

Teresa Yang, Vice Chairman of Esquel Group, set the tone for 2016 Integral Conversation in her welcoming remarks.

Xinhong Fan, Deputy Mayor of Guilin delivered welcoming remarks.

Stan Shih, Chairman of Stans Foundation, Chairman of NCAF, Co-founder and Honorary Chairman of Acer Group shared the role of culture in sustainable development in the opening keynote.

(From Left) Vijay Vaitheeswaran, China Business Editor and Shanghai Bureau Chief, The Economist, hosted the opening plenary session. Speakers included: Geoff Yang, Founding Partner & Managing Director, Redpoint Ventures; John Slosar, Chairman, John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Limited and Swire Pacific Limited; and Rose Marcario, President and CEO, Patagonia.

(Right) Truong Dinh Tuyen, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister of Vietnam and (Left) Jun Ma, Director, Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE) discussed ways of embedding sustainability into the National Development Agenda in the luncheon.

(From left) Clifford Pearson, Director, University of Southern California’s American Academy, China, hosted the panel on “Culture in Architecture”. Speakers included: Li Chung (Sandi) Pei, Partner, Pei Partnership Architects; Jianfei Zhu, Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning, University of Melbourne, Australia; and Calvin Tsao, Principal, Tsao & McKown Architects.

(Right) Xudong Yin, Chairman, Novartis Group (China) hosted the “Healthcare” panel. Speakers included: (From Left) Joseph Tucker, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of UNC Project-China; York Chow, Former Secretary for Food and Health, HKSAR; Former Chairperson, Equal Opportunities Commission, Hong Kong; and Una-May O’Reilly, Founder and co-leader of the AnyScale Learning For All (ALFA) group, MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

(From left) Leong Cheung, Executive Director, Charities and Community, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, hosted the “Education” panel. Speakers included: Harold Abelson, Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT; Yuhyun Park, Founder and Chair, infollutionZERO Ahn-Sei Foundation, Researcher, Nanyang Technological University; and Siu Cheung Kong, Professor, the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology and Director, Centre for Learning, Teaching and Technology, the Education University of Hong Kong. 

(Right) Xiaolai Luo, General Manager, Woven Fabric Mill, Esquel Guangdong hosted the “Innovation” panel. Speakers included: (From left) Albert Ni; Ami Dror, Founder & CEO of LeapLearner; and Tuan-Anh Nguyen, Country General Manager, Grab Vietnam.

Albert Ni hosts an interactive conversation with students from China, Malaysia and Vietnam to close the conference.

John Cheh, Vice Chairman & CEO of Esquel Group, presented the closing remarks for 2016 Integral Conversation.

Hosted by Esquel Group, 2016 Integral Conversation  comes to a successful end with more than 300 international experts joining the event.