The Green Banking Innovation Award is launched by GreenWatershed and seven other Chinese NGOs. This award encourages the Chinese banking sector to fulfill its societal role to protect the environment, curb emissions and climate change, and promote green development. The award, first won by China Industrial Bank Co. Ltd., is the first ever in China on the topic of green banking and sustainable finance, and forms part of a trend of increasing public environmental awareness and a growing role for Chinese society in environmental protection.