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ZTE's 2025 Sustainability Report: AI's Vital Role in Sustainable Growth

On May 22, 2026, ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a prominent name in the global information and communication technology landscape, released its 2025 Sustainability Report. This marks the 18th consecutive year that ZTE has voluntarily shared its annual sustainability results, underlining its commitment to enhancing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices.

A Vision for a Sustainable Future

ZTE's Executive Director and CEO Xu Ziyang stated, "Driven by our 'Connectivity + Computing' strategy, we remain committed to promoting high-quality economic development through technology, working alongside our partners to build a smarter, more efficient, greener, and inclusive future."

In 2025, ZTE continued to invest heavily in research and development, allocating approximately ¥22.76 billion—around 17% of its total revenue—to advance its comprehensive AI capabilities. By December 31, 2025, ZTE had made significant progress in patent submissions and approvals, totaling around 95,000 globally. This includes nearly 5,900 patent applications in the chip sector and about 5,500 in AI, of which almost half were granted.

Commitment to Reducing Carbon Emissions

A notable highlight of ZTE's sustainability efforts is its scientific approach to carbon reduction. The company is dedicated to implementing a 'digital green pathway' within its strategy, focusing on four key dimensions: green business operations, green supply chains, green digital infrastructure, and green industry empowerment. In 2025, through energy-saving management and technologies like AI-based dynamic scaling, ZTE significantly exceeded the Phase I goals outlined in its Net-Zero Strategy White Paper, achieving a 46% reduction in operational carbon emissions compared to 2021. Furthermore, ZTE decreased the intensity of emissions during the use and maintenance phase of its telecommunications products by 8.55%, with a total annual reduction of 3.05% in absolute emissions across the product lifecycle.

For the third consecutive year, ZTE has been recognized in the CDP's 'Climate A List' for excellence in environmental governance, demonstrating its adherence to leading climate action principles.

Fostering Inclusivity Through Technology

ZTE is unwavering in its mission to ensure equal communication rights and digital opportunities worldwide. The company considers talent its most valuable asset, training 100% of its employees in 2025 while continuing to launch initiatives through its Employee Assistance Program (EAP). ZTE has also successfully reevaluated its ISO 45001 system across all its operations and production sites in 30 overseas countries.

In public welfare, ZTE fortified its volunteer service system in 2025, engaging over 20,000 employees and executing more than 600 international community programs throughout the year. Through these efforts, ZTE positively impacted over a million individuals globally, reflecting its commitment to building a more inclusive and sustainable society.

Strengthening Governance and Compliance

In its dedication to sustainable governance, ZTE continuously enhances its three-tier governance framework (Strategy, Decision-making, Execution) to proactively tackle emerging risks and ensure the consistent implementation of its strategic objectives. By 2025, ZTE achieved ISO 22301:2019 certification for business continuity management systems, which encompasses five manufacturing bases and key R&D centers.

ZTE places great importance on data compliance governance within its overall compliance framework. In 2025, alongside the release of its updated ZTE Privacy Protection White Paper, the company obtained ePrivacyseal Global certification from the EU for five of its primary multimedia and fixed network products, strengthening its global data protection standards.

ZTE's commitment to ESG continues to receive global accolades. In 2025, the company was ranked as 'low ESG risk' by Sustainalytics for the fourth consecutive year, appeared in the 2025 Fortune China ESG Impact List, won the 'Excellence in Practice Award' from the Association for Talent Development for the sixth year running, and featured again in the SP Global Sustainability Yearbook (China Edition) 2025.

Looking ahead, ZTE is committed to leveraging its expertise in R&D and innovation, actively supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and steering society towards a more efficient, greener, smarter, and inclusive future.

For more detailed insights, the full report can be accessed here. More information is available on ZTE's sustainability portal here.