Under the banner of Redpanda.earth, along with their partners and co-hosts: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) China, ImpactHub Shanghai, Cocoon Networks and Green Initiatives, a diverse panel of experts and industry insiders was pulled together and assembled in an attempt to confront the ever present and growing issues of environmental impact and business.
Billed as an event consisting of “a panel discussion on the role of entrepreneurs for action an solutions in the environment” open to anyone with a vested interest (or a more general interest), the organiser intention was to set into motion the foundations of a widespread community of like-minded individuals keen on building sustainable business and producing more positive impacts on the environment.
The Panel was made up of:
- Bikram Chaudhury, MD Credit Suisse.
- Michael Cheng, Industry Partner ICY Capital.
- Xu Hao, Sustainability & Resource Productivity, McKinsy.
- Bunny Yan, CEO The Squirrelz. (A start-up looking to tackle the exponential waste associated with the Fashion and Fabric industries.)
- Yifan Gu, Tongji University Entrepreneur.
Also present was a video panel consisting of:
- James Griffiths, Fund Manager, Adapt Low Carbon Group UK.
- John French, Chair in Enterprise and Sustainability at University of East Anglia.
- SZE Ping, CEO WWF China.
Together the panel tackled underlying issues facing aspiring and emerging green start-ups such as: starting and funding a start, as well as continuing growth, expansion and scaling. What followed was also an informative Q+A that seemed to highlight one of the more prevalent issues start-ups are required to tackle, financing. Here the discussion quickly moved towards the field of Impact Investment and the shared responsibility aspiring CEO’s had in finding appropriate investors. A clear message established through the collaborative experience of the panel members was the distinction between two sets of investors, those interested in the positive impact an idea can have offset against potential profit, and the other seeking for profits whilst looking to increase their image and reputation.
After a thorough and in-depth discussion on the development of Green Business, in the second half of the event presented an opportunity for networking as well as a level of interactivity in which individuals were encouraged to think about and engage in pertinent questions regarding the creation of Green Initiatives and the expansion of Green Business Ideas.What emerged was the sense, or more accurately the need for greater collaboration, education and a need for a more widespread and real belief in the preservation of our environment and more sustainable practices. The success of such pioneering projects rested on the shoulders of a greater understanding and a larger desire to engage and solve one of the most immediate problems facing humanity as a whole.
At future events RedPanda.Earth hopes to foster and grow this emerging community, provide support, networking whilst engaging in exploring and educating China along with the world regarding these crucial issues. In this endeavour we wish them the greatest success.
Left-Foot-4ward 