As a large cross-border logistics company that has been operating for 16 years, TowardSky has always been committed to helping Chinese brands expand overseas with ease. The company offers one-stop, multi-scenario, end-to-end cross-border logistics solutions for mid-to-large-sized items delivered directly to the door.

About TowardSky and the Global Sustainable Supply Chain Student Competition Award:

The "Global Sustainable Supply Chain Student Competition Award" encourages young people around the world to take innovative supply chain actions to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The competition is co-hosted by the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA), the Global Supply Chain Classroom Alliance (GSCC), and the International Center for Transport Diplomacy (ICTD), with official support from the Friends of Sustainable Transport of the United Nations. It is an important educational support event for the UN’s Sustainable Transport Day.

TowardSky Technology Co., Ltd. (referred to as TowardSky), a global leader in end-to-end logistics services for mid-to-large-sized items, sponsors the winning global teams' participation in the award ceremony and provides funding for their study of the United Nations SDGs during their visit to Geneva. TowardSky consistently creates value for Chinese sellers by driving cross-border logistics through digital intelligence and operational excellence, while promoting the sustainable growth of the global supply chain through green logistics planning.

Part 1: Gathering Top Universities from China and the U.S., Tsinghua University Wins the Global Best Sustainable Solution Award Again

Pictured: Professor Liu Dacheng of Tsinghua University with the team members who won the Asia-Pacific Gold Medal and Global Silver Medal.

"Youth is the driving force of innovation. In solving global environmental challenges, young people must unleash their full imagination and produce innovative results. Universities, which are responsible for nurturing the young, should be the best platforms to carry out this great historical mission."

—Professor Liu Dacheng of Tsinghua University, the first professor to offer a supply chain management course in China and a co-initiator of the Global Sustainable Supply Chain Student Competition.

The TowardSky "Global Sustainable Supply Chain Student Competition Award," held from September to December 2024, gathered young students from 20 countries across seven continents. As the two largest economies and the world's two largest carbon emitters, China and U.S. universities were particularly enthusiastic about participating and performed exceptionally well, leading global youth innovation in sustainable supply chain development. After three rounds of double-blind reviews by experts from the World Bank, UN agencies, the U.S., China, and France’s transport ministries, top multinational companies, and renowned academic institutions, the competition’s final results were recently revealed.

Chinese students performed outstandingly in the competition, sweeping the Asia-Pacific awards. Tsinghua University became the only university globally to win the Global Best Sustainable Solution Award in both editions of the competition. Led by Professor Liu Dacheng, four Tsinghua student teams reached the finals. The Tsinghua University ComVision team won the Asia-Pacific Gold Medal and Global Silver Medal, while the Tsinghua University-Georgia Institute of Technology-Australian National University Green Chain Explorers joint team won the Best Cross-National Team Gold Medal and Global Bronze Medal. The competition, involving prestigious universities and fierce competition, showcased excellent results. Besides Tsinghua University, Tongji University won the Global Bronze Medal and Asia-Pacific Silver Medal, and the Asia-Pacific Bronze Medal was awarded to Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and Ningbo (China) Supply Chain Innovation Institute.

Part 2: Demonstrating Social Responsibility, TowardSky Drives Sustainable Innovation in the Industry

"At TowardSky, we believe that sustainability and education are the cornerstones of a thriving global supply chain. Supporting this competition and related educational programs reflects our core values of promoting trade sustainability and empowering future leaders through education." —Xie Shengwei, Founder and CEO of TowardSky.

Global supply chains power international trade, but they have also become a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related risks. The United Nations Global Compact's report points out that "supply chains account for approximately 60% of global carbon emissions." UN Secretary-General António Guterres has emphasized that "decarbonizing global supply chains is one of the most effective ways to address climate change." This is also the reason TowardSky established the "Global Sustainable Supply Chain Student Competition Award." As a large cross-border logistics company with 16 years of operation, TowardSky is committed to helping Chinese brands expand overseas with ease, offering one-stop, multi-scenario, end-to-end logistics solutions for mid-to-large-sized items delivered to the door. Since its digital transformation in 2013, TowardSky has understood that digital transformation cannot be separated from green development. Therefore, as part of its digitalization journey, the company has deeply integrated green logistics concepts into various aspects of cross-border logistics, continually promoting the intelligent upgrading of key logistics links and processes. This has reduced costs and increased efficiency for customers while establishing a sustainable development model for the industry and society. TowardSky has strongly supported the smooth global market entry of China’s mid-to-large-sized products and contributed to the decarbonization goals of the global supply chain.

In logistics transportation, TowardSky continuously optimizes its transportation structure, strengthens multimodal transport capabilities, ensures efficient coordination between transportation hubs, improves transportation efficiency, and reduces carbon emissions. In the field of smart logistics, it integrates multimodal transport with digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and the internet to achieve full-process intelligent services. Additionally, it applies intelligent equipment in warehouse management to automate storage and retrieval, enhancing space utilization and operational efficiency while further reducing energy consumption and resource waste. This solid foundation supports the company’s sustainable development.

TowardSky’s warehouse and distribution network spans key hubs in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Houston, New York, and Chicago. The network emphasizes green logistics planning, including energy-saving transportation methods and eco-friendly packaging solutions, minimizing environmental impact and supporting the sustainable development of the global supply chain.

(Pictured: TowardSky Group Headquarters)

TowardSky’s founder, Mr. Xie Shengwei, will travel to Geneva in March to present the awards to the winning students and teachers. Moving forward, TowardSky will collaborate with universities such as Tsinghua University and the University of Maryland, as well as competition co-hosts like the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations, the Global Supply Chain Classroom Alliance, and experts from UN agencies, to jointly develop a global youth sustainable supply chain career development program. This initiative aims to promote international industry-academia cooperation and bring innovative ideas to the field.

(Pictured: TowardSky Chairman Xie Shengwei)

Part 3: Empowering the Next Generation, Building a High-Quality Supply Chain Education System

"The global supply chain has rapidly evolved into a knowledge-based, technology-driven, and sustainability-focused network. Access to high-quality supply chain education programs is more critical than ever, and we hope this global platform helps prepare the next generation of supply chain leaders from China, the U.S., and other countries around the world for success in the diverse global economy." —Chung Tam, Executive Director of the Global Supply Chain Classroom Alliance (GSCC) and Board Member of the China-U.S. Logistics Federation.

Pictured: Koray Özpolat, Supply Chain Management Professor at the University of Rhode Island, with his 11 students who participated in the cross-national team competition.

In recent years, China’s achievements in promoting sustainable transportation and green supply chain development have earned global recognition, making significant contributions to advancing the UN’s Sustainable Development Agenda. During the opening ceremony of the second UN Global Sustainable Transport Conference, President Xi Jinping announced the establishment of the China International Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center.

Liu Peng, Director of the China International Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center, and Wang Wei, a researcher at China’s Development Research Center of the State Council, were invited as expert judges for the final round of the competition. Experts from developed and developing countries worked together, participating in competition design and review, contributing to the integration of diverse national industry development features and educational perspectives.

Young people from China and the U.S., as participants in the climate change process of the world’s two largest economies, play an important role in promoting innovation and cooperation in decarbonization and sustainable development. The global sustainable supply chain student competition, which brought together young students from seven continents, demonstrates that supply chains connect the physical world, and education connects hearts. To avoid climate disaster, the world must reduce greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global warming by 50% within 10 years. "No single country can achieve such a significant decarbonization goal alone," said Xie Shengwei, the founder of the TowardSky Global Sustainable Supply Chain Student Competition Award. "Let us go beyond our differences and face this most global challenge together. By building a sustainable global supply chain through education, we can contribute to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals."

Note: The international experts selected the winners of the Best Sustainable Solution Global Award, Best Cross-National Team, and the winning teams from the Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East after three rigorous rounds of double-blind review. The full list of winners can be found on the competition website: www.supplychainsdg.org

China Daily Chinese version report: https://cn.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202501/16/WS6788ce62a310b59111dae18d.html

China Daily International version report: https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202501/15/WS67877a35a310f1265a1db0cd.html