Is corporate China ready for the green economy? A report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Association
of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) asked that question in October 2012 (ACCA and WWF 2012). In PR’s opinion, no! But corporate China is beginning to say
the rights things, think about what is needed for a truly better world and seek sustainability credentials.
China has a massive sustainability hill to climb: very high
levels of pollution; an avid shopping culture among those Chinese who can
afford it; widespread poverty; a huge population; overcrowded cities; and an
economy that can seem more dedicatedly capitalist, growth-minded and money
conscious than the worst excesses on Wall Street. So PR does not think that
China is ready for the Green Economy.
BUT, China and Chinese people are nothing if not
adaptable and pragmatic. Chinese history is a record of how China adapts, accommodates
change and survives - for over a very sustainable 3,000 years. Chinese people possess strong pragmatic elements, deep-seated
ethical awareness and an ancient culture grounded on principles of harmony
between heaven, earth and mankind. So PR thinks it quite possible that China
could become Green and sustainable before the West.
