Alibaba Group paves the way for sustainable corporate practices, showcasing a variety of eco-conscious technology implementations—from harnessing solar power for street lighting to constructing high-efficiency edifices.

Alibaba Group, headquartered in Hangzhou, has been intensifying its green initiatives since 2020, notably ensuring all newly constructed edifices are compliant with the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Standard 🏆, a prestigious certification conferred by the U.S. Green Building Council.

"As trailblazers in corporate sustainability, we believe in leading by example. Our goal is to inspire a ripple effect of environmental consciousness, starting from our campuses and extending to our associates," Felix Liu, President of General Services Administration at Alibaba, conveyed in a discussion with Alizila.

The ambitious multinational conglomerate is firmly committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 and is striving to slash a colossal 1.5 gigatons of carbon emissions across its expansive network by 2035 🎯.

Green practices aren't confined to the indoors. While AI-infused applications are optimizing the use of air conditioning and heating within offices, Alibaba's main campus has seen a transition to solar-powered street lights ☀️💡, as reported by Liu.

Please find below an edited transcription of the conversation with Liu, tailored for succinctness and lucidity.

🎙️Transcript

Felix Liu: ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) transcends conventional business values. It lays out a roadmap to tackle a diverse array of global issues and forms the foundation for Alibaba's longevity — a goal of 102 years.

We believe in sparking change from within, using our campus as a launchpad. Since 2020, we've implemented a series of green, low-carbon tech solutions on our campuses, simultaneously fostering a vibrant, comfortable, and dynamic workspace for our employees.

Alibaba's global headquarters, the Hangzhou Xixi Campus, evolves in parallel with our company. Many eco-friendly practices are piloted here before being rolled out to our sites across China.

We're also ardently exploring clean energy alternatives for electricity consumption. Currently, 100% of our campus streetlights harness solar power.

As staunch advocates for ecological diversity, we take earnest efforts to safeguard the wetland environment. Xixi Campus Park A, for instance, preserves its native ecosystem, teeming with willows, bamboo, and persimmons.

We've designed trails alongside the wetland and created semi-open office spaces and meeting areas that seamlessly blend our employees with nature.

All future constructions by Alibaba will adhere to both the LEED Gold Standard and China's green building benchmark.

Alibaba has also rolled out a series of initiatives and platforms to encourage our employees to live a low-carbon lifestyle. For instance, we've introduced "Youxin", a platform designed to incentivize employees to engage in low-carbon actions.

Employees are rewarded with points for low-carbon emission actions performed on the platform, which can then be redeemed for green-themed souvenirs or other employee perks.

With the advent of new technologies, we're continually staying abreast of innovations. While minimizing carbon emissions from our office parks and constructions is pivotal, we're also mulling over potential investments in green energy.