Recently, the 3rd China-Europe Corporate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Best Cases Conference was held in Mainz, Germany. With the theme "From Vision to Practice: Deepening ESG Cooperation and Building a Green Value Chain," the conference was hosted by the Chinese Consulate General in Frankfurt, bringing together more than 500 representatives from government, business, academia, and research sectors across China and Europe to engage in in-depth discussions on green transformation, technological innovation, industrial upgrading, and sustainable development.
The case collection for this year's conference covered six categories: zero-carbon cities and parks, social responsibility, technological innovation, digital transformation, environmental protection, and education and training. A total of nearly 140 cases from China and Europe were received, with 24 cases ultimately standing out. Following rigorous review by the China-Europe Joint Evaluation Committee, CUMT's project "Serving the Belt and Road, Building a Green Silk Road Together — International Training Practice on Ecological and Environmental Protection Technology and Management Models for Mining Areas in Developing Countries" was honored with the conference's "Outstanding Case in Education and Training" award.
The award-winning project centers on the "Technical Training Program for Developing Countries" hosted by CUMT's School of Environment and Spatial Informatics, a program sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology. From December 1 to 16, 2025, the training program, themed "Sustainable Development Technology for Coal Mining and Environmental Protection in Mining Areas of Developing Countries," brought together 20 participants from 9 countries, including Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Mongolia, and Costa Rica. All participants were technical backbones from national energy and environmental departments, university professors, and research personnel. The project received strong support from the Academy of Science and Technology, the International Office, and other units.
The project established an innovative "four-in-one" training model integrating theoretical lectures, on-site teaching, cultural immersion, and international seminars. The theoretical lectures featured high-level thematic reports covering core areas such as mining area ecological restoration, green mining, wastewater treatment, and solid waste resource utilization. The on-site teaching organized participants to visit Datun Coal and Electricity Group, the Xuzhou Zero-Waste City Cultural Exhibition Hall, the Pan'an Lake coal mining subsidence wetland, Mazhuang Village, and the Xuzhou Museum, allowing participants to witness firsthand the ecological miracle of China's mining areas transforming from "century-old coal pits" into national wetland parks. During the training, the School of Environment and Spatial Informatics simultaneously held two international academic conferences and organized a sub-forum on "Green Mining and Ecological Environmental Protection," inviting each participant to share their country's practices and promoting mutual learning and win-win outcomes.
The successful implementation of the project provides a replicable training model for green capacity building under the Belt and Road Initiative, explores an effective path for the international dissemination of China's mining area environmental governance experience, and directly contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals. As an important brand event initiated by the Chinese Consulate General in Frankfurt and held for three consecutive years, the China-Europe Corporate ESG Best Cases Conference has gradually developed from a corporate exchange platform into an important cooperation platform connecting government, industry, capital, and research institutions. CUMT's School of Environment and Spatial Informatics will take this opportunity to continue deepening international industry-academia-research cooperation and contribute CUMT's wisdom and strength to promoting the building of a global green value chain.
