Nobel Sustainability Trust Foundation was reported to convene its second annual summit in Paris, France, at Palais Brongniart on the 21st of November 2022, which proceedings and focusing on "Energy and Water". During the summit, Nobel Sustainability Trust Foundation awarded the medal for Outstanding Contribution in Sustainability. Dean Chen Fangruo of Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University was elected as a member of the award committee, to select winners for the great award.

The two recipients, from Asia and North America, respectively, were Dr. Bruno Wu from Beijing, China, founder of the World Carbon Neutrality Council and Mr. Collin O´Mara of Reston, Virginia, USA, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. 

The NST Directors also awarded a Special Recognition Letter to the Government of the People’s Republic of China for outstanding contributions to advancing carbon neutrality. From 2011-2021, China has been playing an important, positive and constructive role in global climate governance, and has become an important participant, contributor and leader during the process. Facts and figures show that China has embarked on a path of green and low-carbon development suited to its national conditions. Climate action is conducive to achieving progress in economics, society, energy, environment and other fields, which also encourages innovation, further creating new industries and increasing employment.

“The new sustainability award comes at a time when the world is facing unprecedented challenges, from climate change to poverty to pandemics, and of course these global problems need global solutions. The sustainability award represents a global effort at addressing our common challenges. We all owe the Nobel Sustainability Trust Foundation a great thank-you for this noble initiative.”said Chen. “Given the award’s emphasis on practical value, the selection process must be multi-disciplinary. We need experts from science and technology, who can evaluate the research from their professional perspectives. Therefore, the complexity of the selection process seems to have increased significantly, as compared to the process for determining the traditional Nobel prizes. Finally, in order to have real impact on sustainable development, what comes after the award recognition is also important. Business schools around the world can provide the necessary talents, or can help find those talents.”

The Sustainability Award is a grand new award founded by the Nobel family. The members of the Nobel family, founders of the Nobel Sustainability Trust (NST), have been observing the devastation of the world’s vital, natural and non-renewable resources with great concern. The purpose is to recognize individuals for their outstanding contribution to sustainability and a commitment to ensuring that the need of the present is met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The Nobel Sustainability Trust Foundation, founded by four members from Nobel family the previous name was " Nobel Charity Trust" since 2007, and from 2022 changed to its present name in 2011 to more accurately represent its role and activities. The NST logo and The Sustainability Award are trademarked in the EU and worldwide. NST chairman Michael Nobel said the annual "The Sustainability Award" will focus on applied science and recognize outstanding sustainable development projects around the world, including in the fields of new energy, new materials, water, health, agriculture, IT and artificial intelligence. Award winners would be selected by a top jury organized by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany, one of the world’s leading institutes of technology.

About Chen Fangruo

CHEN Fangruo is the Dean and Guangqi Chair Professor, Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. A researcher in the area of Operations Management/Supply Chain Management, he has published widely in renown international journals. He has served in many leadership positions in the field, and has received numerous awards and recognitions. In 2007, he founded the Chinese Scholars Association for Management Science and Engineering (CSAMSE). Since joining Antai in 2018, Dean Chen has launched ambitious initiatives to reform the business school through promoting industry research. He was the MUTB Professor of International Business, Columbia Business School. He has a bachelor's degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and a Ph.D. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.