The “2023 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition” (2023MIECF) hosted by the Macao SAR Government culminated in success today (20 August). The four-day event incorporated close to 20 forums and meetings held by professional organisations in different industries and five business matching sessions were arranged by the 2023MIECF, where nearly 400 business matching meetings were conducted, with almost 40 partnerships clinched. As such, the 2023MIECF has continued to generate green business co-operation opportunities.

The 2023MIECF was co-organised by the provincial and regional governments in the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region, and co-ordinated by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA), with the support of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China. Under the theme of “Building an Ecological Civilisation Through Innovative Initiatives”, the 2023MIECF continued to function as a professional exhibition dedicated to “carbon neutrality”.

Green Forum brought together experts and scholars at home and abroad

This year’s event invited Professor Lan Hong, Deputy Director of the Eco-finance Research Centre of the Renmin University of China, Deputy Director of the Green Finance Branch of the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences, and Deputy Director of the Green Finance Professional Committee of the China Association of Environmental Protection Industry, to deliver a keynote speech on “Deepen Co-operation on Green Finance, Work Together to Achieve Carbon Neutrality” on its opening ceremony.

The two-day “Green Forum” invited more than 30 experts, scholars, and industry leaders in environmental protection-related industries from Mainland China, Portuguese-speaking countries, Europe, Southeast Asian countries, Hong Kong and Macao as speakers. The Green Forum comprised four sessions, including “bleisure tourism”, “green innovation”, “innovative solutions for pollution management”, and “co-operation of the environmental protection industries in the Pan-Pearl River Delta”, with discussions and exchanges on cutting-edge issues of green, low-carbon and sustainable development to inform the industry of the latest environmental protection updates around the world, grasp the opportunities for green development, and jointly move towards a green future.

Diversified activities expanded business opportunities in environmental protection

The Green Showcase covered an area of more than 10,000 square metres, with seven major exhibition areas containing close to 500 booths, which attracted over 400 offline exhibitors from across the world. Among them, there were a total of 40 overseas exhibitors showcasing exhibits in a broad range of fields, including construction, finance, catering, transport, water resources, energy-saving and eco-friendly technologies, and waste management. Therefore, it created a green commerce and trade platform to open up international business opportunities in environmental protection.

The 2023MIECF held five business matching sessions, covering the environmental protection collaboration between Macao and Hengqin governments, Portuguese-speaking countries, co-ordination of sustainable green projects, green finance, and special sessions for large integrated resorts. One-on-one business meetings were held to help enterprises exchange information and opportunities on environmental protection at home and abroad.

A number of concurrent activities were also held during the event, including the three forums organised by the environmental protection industry on its own initiative, which were held following the “multi-venue event” pattern in Macao and Hengqin. At the same time, the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region delegation was also organised to visit Hengqin for inspection.

2023MIECF participants reaped significant rewards

    Some local exhibitors engaged in eco-friendly products manufacturing have signed contracts with European enterprises through the exhibition to successfully introduce eco-friendly products made in Macao to the international market. In addition, professional buyers from Southeast Asia were matched to five to six enterprises specialising in solid waste and sewage treatment through the exhibition and have made future co-operation plans. Manufacturers from Brazil working on the production of batteries and charging facilities also gained a better understanding of the preferential policies in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Co-operation Zone in Hengqin through the activities arranged by  MIECF and have developed plans to build their presence in Hengqin. At the same time, some exhibitors from Portugal working on eco-friendly products reached preliminary intentions of co-operation with some enterprises during the exhibition.

Green Public Day shared the joy of a green lifestyle

The exhibition was open to the public during the weekends with free admission, and the final day (20 August) was designated as “Green Public Day”, which attracted a large number of citizens to get engaged in a string of educational activities on environmental protection, where they learned about the most up-to-date green information and technologies, experienced the green atmosphere and developed a better awareness of environmental protection, which are conducive to their practice of a green lifestyle. To give the participants a better idea of the latest environmental protection technologies, technical visits to the Cotai Ecological Zones and the Macao Electronic and Electrical Equipment Recycling Treatment Facility were arranged.

Tours to the community leveraged the synergistic effect of “MICE + Tourism”

To extend the synergistic effect of “MICE + Tourism”, the 2023MIECF continued to invite merchants to visit Macao communities and explore local stores, where they appreciated Macao’s diversified cultural tourism. This helped to promote Macao’s image as a city worth visiting and suitable for business operations and MICE events, delivering benefits across different industries and bolstering the community economy. Some merchants stated that this gave them a better insight into the richness of Macao’s culture and history, and they plan to bring their family members to visit Macao again in the future.

20 August 2023