Green and low-carbon products are drawing global buyers and driving major orders at the 138th China Import and Export Fair, widely known as Canton Fair.
The fair started its second phase on Thursday in Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, drawing more than 10,000 exhibitors to showcase their products at around 25,000 booths under the theme "Quality Home Life."
The bustling exhibition halls, which features sections such as general ceramics, kitchenware, and sanitary equipment, were prominently characterized by a strong trend of "going green."
At the section for general ceramics, exhibitor Yu Changsen has brought ceramic vases made from recycled materials, which are new-generation innovative products.
"By recycling and reusing waste ceramics, we created this new material and achieved low-carbon and environmentally friendly results. Currently, this is our second-generation product, with a 100-percent utilization rate of waste ceramics," said Yu.
Green and low-carbon products have become a prominent feature of this session of the Canton Fair. According to statistics, the number of green and low-carbon products at the fair's second phase reached 1.083 million, with 38.4 percent of participating companies applying green production technologies.
A ceramic tableware exhibitor has also benefited from innovative products. Through comprehensive digital transformation, the company has introduced technologies such as 3D printing and artificial intelligence (AI) into its production lines, significantly optimizing the entire process from design to production.
"Through digital transformation, our production efficiency has been increased by 40 percent. The quality of products has also been improved. In particular, our pass rate has gone up by 7.6 percent, which also contributed to the growth of our orders," said exhibitor Su Tongqiang.
"This is made in China. It's amazing. No other country can produce the same quality. It's the best and so beautiful," said Sayed, an Egyptian purchaser.
According to data from the fair’s organizing committee, the second phase attracted over 10,000 exhibitors, including over 2,900 high-quality enterprises with various national-level qualifications.
In addition to ceramics designed with an eco-friendly concept, new materials that are environmentally friendly, lightweight and soundproof are also quite popular at the exhibition.
Such products have attracted the attention of many buyers at the building and decorative materials section. Exhibitors said that with the diversification of market layouts and the development of cross-border e-commerce, making their products go global is no longer just about selling products, but has gradually become a part of brand operation strategies.
"We have made significant improvements in product design, research and development, and quality, which have been well received by our customers. Based on the transaction volume in previous years, we expect a turnover of approximately three to five million U.S. dollars at this session of the Canton Fair. We hope that after the fair, we can increase our transaction volume even further," said Lu Jing, another exhibitor.
The fair's second phase features three thematic forums. At the forum on domestic and overseas development and operational innovation in the home furnishing industry, which was held on Thursday, a report on the trend research of China's home furnishing industry was released, assisting enterprises in better utilizing both domestic and international markets and resources.
"We hope that through these exchanges, we can help enterprises mitigate risks, expand markets, research trends, and promote domestic sales. This will enable them to better understand the development trend of industries, optimize their domestic and international market layouts, and strengthen legal protections and cross-border compliance capabilities," said Xu Xiaoxue, director of the organization and operation affairs of the conference and forum department of the Canton Fair.
Established in 1957, the Canton Fair is held twice a year. It is the longest-running of several comprehensive international trade events in China, and has been hailed as the barometer of China's foreign trade.
The second phase of the 138th Canton Fair will run through Oct. 27, while its third phase is scheduled to go from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4.
Green materials drive global orders at Canton Fair
