As global environmental issues become increasingly severe, green and low-carbon development has become a crucial topic for economic growth in various countries. Against the backdrop of China's "dual carbon" goals, foreign trade enterprises are also facing the challenge of transitioning to green and low-carbon practices. Achieving this transformation is not only necessary to comply with national policies but also an inevitable choice to enhance international competitiveness and respond to global market changes.

The International Energy Agency's "Annual CO2 Emissions" report shows that global energy-related CO2 emissions reached a record high of 36.3 billion tons in 2022, with an increase of 0.9%, but the growth rate was lower compared to previous years, thanks to the development of technologies such as photovoltaics, wind power, and new energy vehicles. China has made significant contributions, with the export advantages of "new three types" of foreign trade—new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and solar cells—significantly improving in 2022. Their combined exports amounted to 2.3 trillion yuan, breaking through the trillion yuan mark for the first time. It can be said that addressing climate change and advancing towards global sustainable development goals have brought new opportunities for the upgrading of China's foreign trade, and also provided new directions for transformation and growth for related foreign trade enterprises.

Since the "dual carbon" targets were proposed, the process of building a socialist ecological civilization with Chinese characteristics has continuously emphasized the importance of green development, gradually permeating various industries, and the policy environment has been continuously driving the green transformation of foreign trade enterprises. In [month], the Ministry of Commerce released the "Knowledge Manual for the Green and Low-Carbon Transformation of Foreign Trade Enterprises," which mainly showcases the implementation purpose and specific details of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, introduces the calculation methods of carbon footprints and the life cycle assessment process, and provides updates on the forefront of fields such as green certificates, carbon markets, and the EU carbon market, offering important references for foreign trade enterprises.

Internationally, the global demand for green products is increasing, stimulating the export growth of related industries. Particularly, industries requiring zero-carbon and negative-carbon technologies to achieve the "carbon neutrality" goal by mid-century will have significant growth potential. Meanwhile, as green standards in international trade activities continue to rise, enterprises whose production activities and final products possess green and low-carbon attributes will gain a distinct advantage. Therefore, foreign trade enterprises seeking to achieve a green and low-carbon transformation can explore opportunities from the following perspectives.

One is to transform the green demand of the international market into motivation and opportunities for research and production. To meet the green demand of the international market, foreign trade enterprises need to increase investment in the research and development of environmentally friendly products, ensuring that their products meet the environmental standards of importing countries. For example, the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism requires imported products to reduce carbon emissions during production, or else they will be subject to additional tariffs. Therefore, foreign trade enterprises should focus on the environmental standards and green certification requirements of export destination countries, and enhance the green competitiveness of their products by optimizing processes, adopting green materials, and reducing carbon footprints.

Second, always grasp the direction of technological innovation and transform it into the core driving force for achieving green and low-carbon transformation. Technological innovation is a key factor for foreign trade enterprises to achieve green and low-carbon transformation. By using technological means to reduce energy consumption, decrease pollution emissions, and enhance resource utilization efficiency, foreign trade enterprises can reduce environmental impact while achieving economic benefits. Enterprises should vigorously invest in the research and application of energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies, whether it is improving production processes or optimizing energy management; technological innovation can effectively enhance the green transformation capabilities of enterprises. For example, the application of photovoltaic technology can help enterprises reduce electricity consumption, upgrading wastewater treatment technology can reduce water resource waste, and clean production technology can lower carbon emissions in the production process.

Third, strengthen green and low-carbon practices in supply chain management. Foreign trade enterprises should enhance cooperation with suppliers to promote green and low-carbon measures among suppliers. For example, selecting raw material suppliers with environmental certifications to ensure that the procured materials meet environmental requirements; collaborating with upstream and downstream supply chain partners to promote the use of clean energy and the recycling of resources; by building a green supply chain, not only can the environmental burden on enterprises be reduced, but the sustainability of the entire supply chain can also be improved; adopting green logistics technologies and solutions to reduce carbon emissions during product transportation, effectively reducing energy consumption and emissions during transportation through measures such as optimizing logistics routes, improving the energy efficiency of transportation tools, and using clean energy transportation tools.

Four is to reasonably utilize green financial instruments to support enterprises in green production and trade transformation. Green finance not only provides financial support for enterprises but also guides them to pay more attention to environmental and social benefits in investment decisions. Foreign trade enterprises can collaborate with financial institutions to obtain low-interest green loans for supporting energy-saving and emission-reduction projects and green technology research and development, or issue green bonds to raise funds for environmental projects, helping enterprises secure low-cost financing and enhance their corporate social responsibility image and market competitiveness.