FedEx announced on May 8 the conclusion of its “Co-creation for the Future: National College Student Environmental Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition” in China, which aimed to promote youth-led environmental innovation and practical solutions. The event, co-hosted by FedEx and the All-China Environment Federation, lasted seven months and culminated with a national final held in Beijing on May 7.
The competition encouraged university students from across China to address environmental challenges through entrepreneurial thinking and scalable solutions. At the finals, teams presented their projects to a panel of judges from government, industry, and academia. Out of over one hundred participating universities, winning teams were selected for their innovative approaches and practical value.
This year’s contest featured a main track focused on “green express packaging supply chain innovation,” along with four sub-tracks covering ecological protection, climate energy, pollution prevention, and comprehensive topics. A total of 147 projects entered from more than 100 universities nationwide; after rigorous evaluation, fifteen advanced to the finals. The main track was won by Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology’s project “Healing Box,” which impressed judges with its market insight and creative floral blind box design.
Winners in the sub-tracks included Guangdong Ocean University’s “Coral Guardian” (ecological protection), Dalian University of Technology & Harbin Institute of Technology’s joint solar-powered CO2 conversion system (climate energy), Qingdao Agricultural University’s community organic waste resource project (pollution prevention), and another team from Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology focusing on circular workwear systems for couriers (comprehensive topic). Additionally, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University received the most popular AI poster award online for an ecological flower strip pesticide alternative solution.
During the event period that began October 20 last year in Beijing, expert mentors—including FedEx employees—guided participants using experience in sustainable logistics as well as environmental technology development. According to Xu Baoyan, President of FedEx China District: “FedEx is actively advancing our goal to achieve global carbon-neutral operations by 2040… This competition is one important measure we take to nurture future talent.”
Du Shaozhong—Special Observer at Ministry of Ecology & Environment—said: “The successful hosting fully demonstrates a positive ecosystem driven by government guidance, enterprise support, university participation and youth innovation… In addition to monetary prizes, winning teams will receive incubation resources from FedEx partners.”
FedEx continues integrating sustainability into its operations globally and within China through measures such as electrifying vehicles and building sustainable infrastructure. The company has previously partnered with local organizations on river restoration initiatives as part of broader efforts supporting healthy ecosystems according to the official website. FedEx employs hundreds of thousands worldwide who handle about 17 million daily deliveries while serving more than 220 countries; it has been recognized for logistics innovations since introducing drop boxes in 1975 according to the official website.
