/PRZWT/On November 15th, in the bustling venue of the China Pavilion at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, many participants stopped in front of an interactive board with four questions. The participants carefully read each slightly childish question written in English
One of the issues is as follows: "This year's unusual temperature in Shanghai has drawn widespread attention and also affected the growth cycle of many plants." May I ask if such extreme weather will get worse and worse? The questioner is Ruan, a student from Shanghai Pinghe Private School. In the second half of the question, the child sincerely revealed a hint of confusion: "Or is this year just an exception?" "
In response to this issue, a highly praised Portuguese answer goes like this: "It can be more or less understood this way: This is not an isolated incident. We must join hands to deal with this climate situation - we cannot just stand by and do nothing. It will change the future."
At COP30, a global conference concerning the future of the Earth, this pure and sharp "message in a bottle" from the East found its first echo.
When questions from Chinese children rang out in the COP30 venue
Ruan's question is just one of the many questions from Chinese students.
The morning light brought them all here. As a stationery brand that has accompanied the growth of generations of Chinese students, Morning Light collected sincere questions from students of Shanghai's privately-run Pinghe School about climate change and set up an interactive Q&A area titled "Chinese Youth Facilitating a Sustainable Future" at COP30. These questions, shining with the light of thought, became a unique sight for the participants from various countries to stop by.
Compared with other environmental protection issues, "protecting rare animals" seems more distant to us. Why emphasize this aspect of protection to individuals?" One answer is like this: "We must take animals into account in all our ideas. We ourselves are animals." But we should not distinguish the animals we protect from those we eat. Livestock farming contributes 20% to 40% of the problems in the climate crisis, but they are not the only factor, yet these issues have not been discussed.
I would like to sincerely ask the delegates at COP30: How will the member states of the conference balance the stakes brought about by the energy transition? A sincere response would be like this: "If we are to save humanity, we must achieve a transition away from fossil fuels." This transformation must be fair, prompt and financially supported."
These imaginative and responsible questions made the well-informed international representatives stop frequently, showing surprise and admiration. They responded earnestly, not only answering questions but also engaging in an intergenerational dialogue that transcends mountains and seas. Chenguang recorded each of these questions and answers one by one and will bring back to China the complete responses from the world's cutting-edge through the pen and paper of "Global Travel", delivering them to the hands of the children who asked the questions.
In this regard, Liu Yunhu, director of the United Nations Global Collaborative Working Committee on Sustainable Development Goals and chief Representative of the United Nations Institute for Sustainable Development Management, commented: "These issues have enabled the international community to see that China's ecological civilization construction is not only reflected in the country's grand narrative but has also deeply rooted in the hearts of the next generation." On multilateral platforms like COP, China is transforming from an active participant to an active agenda setter and a promoter of cultural exchange. The sincere questions raised by the younger generation themselves are the most touching image of China. The voices of Chinese children are being heard by the world.
Break out of the circle! Integrate sustainability into every consumption interaction
In contrast to these profound questions, there was another group of special "communicators" on the exhibition stand - the sustainable products of Morning Light.
Among them, the "Rare Animals" series of products jointly launched with the Publicity and Education Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment have particularly attracted the attention of the participants due to their close alignment with the conference topic of "biodiversity". This series is inspired by four rare animals from China and Brazil. The pen body is made of recycled plastic, which is derived from materials used in discarded LCD TVS and monitors. It is produced through processes such as recycling, sorting, cleaning, filtering, and granulation. The notebook has achieved carbon neutrality throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material acquisition, transportation, production, use to disposal. It has been verified by the internationally recognized certification and testing institution SGS and is the first paper product in China to obtain the ISO 14068-1 carbon neutrality verification statement, truly realizing a green closed loop from the source to the terminal.
A participant picked up a stationery item printed with a Chinese "giant panda" and compared it with another one depicting a Brazilian "jaguar", exclaiming, "This is so amazing." COP30 was held in Brazil, and the products on the exhibition stand immediately made me see the joint protection of the two countries. Ecological protection knows no borders. We are safeguarding the same Earth.
Bringing the voices of Chinese teenagers to COP30 is a brilliant display of Morning Light's sustainable concept of "One Stroke to Start, Green Life". What supports this international dialogue is the sustainable concept that Chenguang started with a pen and a sheet of paper. From the first carbon-neutral stationery series launched in collaboration with Meituan Waimai's Green Mountain Project to the "Endangered Animals · Wetlands" series launched in partnership with the Mangrove Foundation (MCF), the writing tools are made of recycled materials and PLA degradable materials, making them more environmentally friendly. Morning Light has transformed the concept of "sustainability" into products, integrated products into scenarios, and ultimately settled it into a daily choice that consumers can easily reach out to.
In August this year, Morning Light Stationery, in collaboration with One Earth Nature Foundation (OPF), held the "Let's Have a Pleasant Cooperation" sustainable pop-up event at the first sustainable lifestyle commercial complex in China - HAI550, Huaihai Middle Road, Shanghai. With perspectives and content that align with today's young people, consumers were able to sign up for a series of sustainable small events. Gain a wonderful experience that maximizes sustainability and happiness. A more substantive action is that Morning Light solemnly promised on the spot: to donate 1% of the sales revenue of this new series of eco-friendly products to One Earth Foundation (OPF), so that consumers' eco-friendly choices can be transformed into practical protection for the Earth.
Jiumu Miscellaneous Store, an independent brand under Chenguang, has set up "Sustainable Green Zones" in over 800 stores across the country and launched a "Green Points Program". Members can exchange green points by bringing their own eco-friendly bags when shopping and purchasing Chenguang's sustainable products. These green points can be used to exchange for sustainable products and participate in member activities. In addition to integrating sustainability into daily shopping scenarios, Jiumu Sunstore is also adept at creating collective resonance at key moments. For instance, during Earth Hour, it initiates special events, transforming grand initiatives into warm interactions.
These actions jointly outline a clear path for Morning Light to guide the public in practicing sustainability: it starts with sustainable products, builds emotional connections through thematic marketing, and integrates green consumption into daily life by relying on its channel network and membership system.
Morning Light ESG Strategy: From "Making Pens" to "Connecting the Future"
From the Shanghai Classroom to COP30, why does Morning Light spare no effort to build this bridge of dialogue for the younger generation?
The answer lies in the fact that the children's far-sighted questions have already proved that they are by no means outsiders, but rather the "key generation" that will determine the future of the Earth.
Chenguang has long elevated sustainable development from a slogan to a core strategy guiding the company's progress. As the first listed company in China's stationery industry to release an ESG report, M&G has formulated a clear sustainable development strategy for 2022-2025. Its four pillars - sustainable products, climate change response, sustainable supply chain, and empowering employees and communities - together form a systematic action blueprint.
This is not a short-term action plan but a blueprint guiding the enterprise towards 2030: by 2030, 100% of new product development will undergo sustainable assessment, ESG assessment will cover 80% of suppliers, and the goal of reducing carbon emissions from its own operations by 42% will be achieved. And this series of ambitions is steadily advancing through solid achievements in recent years.
At the level of sustainable products, M&G has expanded from student stationery to low-carbon office solutions. At this COP30, M&G's low-carbon office eco+office series was also on display simultaneously. All plastic components of the office series products have been replaced with recycled plastics. In accordance with the international standard framework, the carbon footprint of the entire product life cycle has been calculated, making the carbon reduction data of each product clear, transparent and traceable, and helping enterprises quantify their carbon reduction achievements.
In terms of addressing climate change, as of 2024, the greenhouse gas emissions of Morninglight Scope 1 and 2 have decreased by 46.4% compared to the base year of 2021. Through the deployment of photovoltaic projects, the proportion of renewable energy has reached 17%. In the same year, it was selected as a "National Green Factory" for its outstanding environmental protection performance, laying a solid foundation for achieving the 2030 emission reduction target.
In the field of sustainable supply chains, a system has been initially established. In 2024, Chenguang has completed the collection of carbon data from 110 suppliers. The ESG assessment scope covers all key suppliers. Through one-on-one on-site audits and improvement empowerment, it has pushed the rectification pass rate of audited suppliers to 96.3%, extending green management to the upstream of the industrial chain.
In terms of empowering employees and communities, the educational public welfare actions of the Morning Light Public Welfare Foundation, such as the "Beautiful Times and Beautiful Courses" aesthetic education program and the "Golden Seed" program, have cumulatively covered 32 provinces and 138 prefecture-level cities across the country, benefiting over 1.23 million people, and writing responsibility on a broader land.
This series of solid progress has also been recognized by international authoritative institutions. Morninglight received a "B" rating for climate change from CDP in 2024 and achieved a leap in its MSCI ESG rating to "AA" in 2025. This marks that Morning Light's sustainable development practices have entered the advanced ranks of its global peers.
It is precisely this consistent determination for "sustainable development" that has given Chenguang the confidence to build a bridge of dialogue for Chinese teenagers at COP30.
At this moment, those "message bottles" that carried problems and flew from Shanghai to COP30 have returned to the starting point. When Ruan and his friends saw the questions they had raised and the reply from Brazil on the school's display board, perhaps the best answers had already been found to those doubts about the "significance of personal actions".
Although the global journey of eco-friendly stationery has come to an end, the thoughts, dialogues and actions it has initiated are spreading like ripples. At the conference site, there was another question: "Stationery manufacturers like Chenguang have launched some sustainable products made of eco-friendly materials. What role do these products play in environmental protection?" Also, can designing and innovating products make people more interested in sustainable development?
One answer goes like this, "Everything for the future." This coincides with the concept of "One Stroke to start, Green life" of Chenguang. Through sustainable product design, Chenguang makes environmental protection an accessible part of daily life. Your seemingly small green choices are writing a greener future.
