ESG+20｜“Actor” Bosideng: Telling a Good Corporate Sustainability Narrative with a Down Jacket

【Editor’s Note】As multiple international ESG standards come into effect and are implemented, the development of ESG enters a new era. In 2024, the ESG concept celebrates its 20th anniversary. At this significant historical juncture, the United Nations Global Compact, the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration Asia-Pacific Communication Center, and China Business News jointly launched the “ESG+20 Sustainable Development Leadership Series Interviews” program. Through dialogues with 20 Chinese entrepreneurs and on-site visits to their companies, the program explores the insights, achievements, and leadership of Chinese business leaders in sustainable development, ESG, and corporate social responsibility.

In the face of new era consumer changes and the wave of globalization, how traditional companies can deepen their core businesses while empowering product innovation through technology and shaping brand connotations through culture has become a topic of concern. This issue of the “ESG+20 Sustainable Development Leadership Series Interviews” features a conversation with Gao Dekang, founder of Bosideng and chairman and CEO of Bosideng Group, to discuss how, in today’s context where sustainable development has become a global consensus, companies can innovate while maintaining their core, creating new productive forces.

“Over 50 years of entrepreneurship, I deeply realize that a company’s value lies in resonating with the times, and the vitality of a brand depends on growing together with society,” said Gao Dekang.

Having focused on down apparel for nearly 50 years, Bosideng has always practiced long-termism in corporate development. The philosophy of “doing one thing well for a lifetime” embodies its craftsmanship spirit. Amid the waves of globalization and green low-carbon development, this Chinese apparel company actively integrates into the global governance system, starting with its membership in the United Nations Global Compact, embedding sustainable development into its core strategic framework, telling the story of Chinese sustainable fashion through a single down jacket, and providing replicable and promotable Chinese solutions for global industry transformation.

Sustainable companies cannot do without sustainable leadership. Regarding this topic, Gao Dekang shared his understanding of sustainable leadership, which first means a profound internal change and adherence to long-termism; second, it involves external collaboration and shared responsibility for ecological co-construction; finally, it also entails global participation and contribution to standards.

“ESG is not a multiple-choice question but a necessary answer for high-quality corporate development and a core competitiveness for long-term growth,” Gao Dekang said. In recent years, Bosideng has built an “1+3+X” ESG strategic framework, clarifying its vision of “leading sustainable fashion with consumer orientation” and its goal of achieving net-zero emissions in operations by 2038, coordinating ESG efforts along the corporate value chain and making them practical and in-depth.

According to reports, Bosideng has integrated sustainable development into its strategic layout and daily operations, established an incentive and constraint mechanism linking ESG performance with executive compensation, and used double materiality assessments to accurately identify key development issues, ensuring ESG principles are truly embedded throughout decision-making, execution, and supervision. This practice has also gained recognition from global capital markets, making Bosideng the first and only company in the Asian textile and apparel industry to receive the MSCI (Morgan Stanley Capital International) ESG AAA top rating.

As a leading enterprise in the industry chain, Bosideng understands that sustainable development requires ecological co-construction.

Gao Dekang introduced that Bosideng has established a comprehensive ESG management system for its entire supply chain, formulated strict supplier conduct codes, conducted green supplier certifications linked to procurement priorities, and independently developed a digital ESG management platform for the supply chain, achieving 100% traceability of ESG performance for core suppliers. The company also conducts regular training to empower suppliers and collaborates with upstream and downstream partners on innovation, such as developing environmentally friendly fabrics and promoting green upgrades of raw materials, to create a low-carbon, circular, responsible industrial ecosystem. The responsibility of the industry leader is transformed into a driver for industry-wide win-win.

Looking ahead, Bosideng has set a carbon target of achieving net-zero emissions in its operations by 2038, outlining a modern enterprise image of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature: by then, every Bosideng product will embody the concept of circular sustainability, and the supply chain will become an efficient, transparent, and responsible green ecological network. “At that time, our brand will be favored by global consumers not only because of the warmth and fashion of our products but also because of the leadership and action we demonstrate in promoting global sustainable fashion and addressing climate change,” Gao Dekang said.

At this critical stage of achieving global sustainable development goals, Bosideng is striving to climb the peak with the spirit of “creating uniqueness, striving for first place forever,” showcasing the scope, warmth, and wisdom of Chinese enterprises to the world, and painting a new global landscape for Chinese brands with sustainable strokes.