(Yicai Global) Nov. 9 -- More than 60 multinational corporations, including Germany's Heraeus Group and Finland's Metsa Group, are leveraging the low-carbon energy and environmental technology section of the fifth China International Import Expo to accelerate green transformation.

This is also the fifth CIIE for Hanau-based Heraeus which makes sensors and renewables equipment, Yicai Global learned. It is displaying key materials and technologies in the sector of environmental protection at the annual event held in Shanghai. China is one of Heraeus' most important markets globally, said Ai Zhouping, president of Heraeus China.

Metsa, the world's leading producer of softwood pulp, is participating in the CIIE independently for the first time this year. The Espoo-based firm is showcasing its environmentally-friendly pulp and paper products, as well as advanced Nordic forestry solutions at the event.

Honeywell International's slogan "start now" underlines the urgency of an environmental shift. The application of American advanced and sustainable technologies in China should be further accelerated amid the Covid-19 pandemic, said Yu Feng, president of the automation giant's China business.

Schneider Electric brought its digital solutions related to urban governance to the expo, said Yin Zheng, president of the French electrical equipment giant in China. During this year’s CIIE, Schneider has found partners from over 10 sectors such as petrochemicals, commercial real estate, new energy, and utilities, boosting the volume of signed contracts by more than 30 percent from last year, Yin added.

Accenture, which has already signed up for next year's expo, has been tracking Chinese companies' digitization for five straight years.

Some 92 percent of polled firms intend to achieve the goal of zero carbon emissions by 2030 while only 7 percent of them have integrated the values of digitization and sustainable development strategies to drive business growth, the Irish professional services company wrote in a recent report.

Corporations that value both technology and sustainability will be more likely to become leaders in their fields, said Leo Framil, chief executive of growth markets at Accenture.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi