Greenext Expo 2025 will be held as a major response to ongoing global climate crisis. The event is scheduled to take place from September 26–27, 2025, at the Shanghai Exhibition Center.
Themed ‘A Journey to Sustainability,’ the event is poised to be China’s leading cross-industry summit and exhibition dedicated to sustainable development. It will bring together global sustainability leaders and innovators to forge new solutions for regenerative business practices.
Operating under the guiding principle of ‘Sustain Every Business,’ Greenext Expo 2025 is built on four core pillars: Sustainability, Innovation, Cross-Sector Collaboration, and Business. This year's event will feature an upgraded program that blends showcases, executive dialogues, and public engagement across key sectors like fashion, food and beverage, energy, education, and investment.
Building on a successful debut
Following its successful launch in 2024, the Greenext Expo received widespread praise from both industry leaders and the public. The inaugural event attracted over 4,300 visitors and featured more than 100 brands and businesses. It hosted 23 keynote speeches, 17 panel discussions, and 8 workshops on critical topics, including ESG reporting, climate action, and green consumerism. The event also marked the launch of several landmark publications, such as the China ESG White Paper and a Sustainability Trends Report. Public programs, including a photography exhibition and a collaborative sustainable fashion show, reinforced the expo's mission to merge commerce, creativity, and community.
Thematic zones and flagship initiatives
In 2025, the expo will introduce six curated thematic zones designed to provide clear pathways for sustainable transformation. These include
• Fashion Forward: This zone will highlight a full-chain approach to innovation in fashion, from materials to design.
• Living Earth: This zone will focus on sustainable connections within regenerative agriculture, eco-beauty, and local culture.
• Green for Next: It will present robust solutions for carbon management, green manufacturing, and circular business models.
• Global Navigation: This zone is designed to help Chinese companies build international compliance and sustainable branding capabilities.
• Pulse of Vitality and Art Awakens: These two zones will create immersive spaces that blend lifestyle aesthetics with cultural co-creation.
The expo will also feature a rich array of flagship initiatives. A highlight will be the 15th Anniversary Showcase of the Redress Design Award, which will spotlight emerging sustainable voices in fashion. The Greenext Co-creation Lab will host collaborative sessions in cities like Paris, Hangzhou, and Shanghai to bridge local practices with international dialogue. Other special programs, including the Green Venture Hub and Future Leaders Academy, are designed to foster long-term strategic change across various industries.
Shaping the future
This year's expo will also develop its public engagement efforts through an enlarged EcoLife Neighborhood, interactive art installations, and gamified sustainability experiences. An urban ‘green passport’ initiative will integrate the event with commercial venues across Shanghai, aiming to make green living more accessible and appealing to a wider audience.
Reflecting on the future, Dr Hong Zheng, Founder, Greenext, emphasizes on the importance of the event as a catalyst for change. The event was launched in 2024 in Shanghai with humility and curiosity, he says. The energy from thousands of attendees and the resonance across industries affirmed that sustainability is no longer a distant vision but a shared imperative, he adds.
Dr Zheng concludes by stating, the event continues to explore how sustainable ideas can be developed in 2025, under the theme 'A Journey to Sustainability. It also explores how industries can collaborate, and how culture can amplify impact. The event is thus set to be a stage for connection, a space for experimentation, and a movement of purpose.
