SOURCE / PRESS RELEASE
Moutai participates in 2025 World Economic Forum, sharing Chinese enterprises’ understanding and practices of ESG
Published: Jan 25, 2025 12:12 PM
On January 20, Swiss time, the 2025 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum kicked off in Davos, Switzerland. The annual meeting gathered nearly 3,000 leaders from various fields across more than 130 countries, focusing on the theme of “Collaboration in the Smart Age,” and discussed five topics: “Reimagining Growth,” “Industries in the Smart Age,” “Investing in People,” “Defending the Earth,” and “Rebuilding Trust.”

At the invitation of the 2025 World Economic Forum annual meeting, on January 21, Wang Li, General Manager of Moutai Group, represented Moutai at Davos once again, and shared insights into Moutai’s ESG practices from multiple dimensions at the Caixin Davos CEO Luncheon, Pioneers Alliance Meeting, and Tencent Finance 2025 Winter Davos Vision Dinner, highlighting the positive efforts and significant achievements of Chinese enterprises in ESG, and showcasing Moutai’s sense of responsibility and forward-looking vision as “the world’s leading distilled liquor brand.”

Interpretation of Moutai’s ESG practices

Tencent Finance’s 2025 Winter Davos Vision Dinner is co-hosted by Tencent News and Tencent Finance, the PBC School of Finance at Tsinghua University and the Global Governance 50 Forum. Over 30 renowned scholars, business elites, and political figures from home and abroad gathered to contribute insights on the theme of “Trust and Cooperation: A New Chapter in Globalization” for global cooperation and high-quality development. When asked how to stand out in fierce market competition and achieve sustained and healthy development, embracing a new cycle with long-term and high-quality development, Wang provided Moutai’s answer.
Photo: Wang Li, General Manager of Moutai Group, shares her insights into Moutai's ESG practices at Tencent Finance's 2025 Winter Davos Vision Dinner during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2025.

Photo: Wang Li, General Manager of Moutai Group, shares her insights into Moutai's ESG practices at Tencent Finance's 2025 Winter Davos Vision Dinner during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2025.


 

Wang believes that “long-termism” is the cornerstone of the past, the core of the present, and an inevitable direction for future development. Internally, it means having strong supply chain resilience, a powerful capability to respond to future challenges, and accumulating momentum and advantages for future development; externally, it means integrating harmoniously with nature and society to create a favorable external environment for the survival and vigorous development of enterprises.

Wang stated that understanding the new cycle and embracing it are essential to navigating through the new cycle. To navigate through it, we must adhere to long-termism and high-quality development, with the core focus on sustainable development, deeply integrating the ESG concept into the entire process of production and operation, and accumulating momentum and advantages for future development.

Wang explained the concept of ESG through the practice of Maotai. Maotai originates from the “good brewing of the Puren” 2000 years ago. From the character “P” for “Puren,” “氵” represents nature, symbolizing harmonious coexistence with nature; “亻” represents society, symbolizing sharing of social values; “业” embodies the craftsmanship spirit of “dedication, professionalism, and joy in work,” which, combined with modern management concepts, forms a modern corporate governance system; "美" refers to the beautiful wine produced in the end. In line with the concept of ESG, “E” represents harmonious coexistence with nature, “S” represents sharing social values, and “G” represents modern governance through the craftsmanship spirit combined with advanced management concepts.

Harmonious coexistence with nature

Wang emphasized that Moutai places great importance on ecological protection. Taking water as an example, Moutai Brewery sources water from the Chishui River. In addition to meeting the physical, chemical, and other water quality standards for wastewater discharge after brewing, Moutai also pays close attention to biological and other ecological factors, fully protecting the ecology of the Chishui River. At the same time, Moutai insists on the green development of the industry.

Sharing social value

Wang stated that for customers, Moutai adheres to a consumer-centered approach, providing functional value, experiential value, and emotional value, advocating a new consumption concept of “self-enjoyment and altruism.” For employees, Moutai actively introduces advanced technology. For shareholders, Moutai adheres to long-term dividends, increases buyback efforts, and enhances communication with investors. For partners, Moutai has built a community of shared interests, emotional ties, and destiny. For society, Moutai established the Guizhou Moutai Public Welfare Foundation and formulated a public welfare plan.

Self-governance modernization 

Wang stated that the dedication to duty, pursuit of excellence, and joy in their work embody the craftsmanship spirit of Moutai. We continuously import advanced management tools, combining them with the reality of Moutai to build a modern management framework. 

Wang finally said that for Moutai, long-termism means passing on a healthy and virtuous Moutai from generation to generation. High-quality development means continuing to adhere to the “Four Compliances” principle that has been followed for decades. 

Green technological innovation

Since its establishment, the Caixin·Davos CEO Luncheon has been held for 13 years, becoming a highly recognized international, high-profile, and interactive closed-door event during the World Economic Forum annual meeting. This year’s luncheon is themed “Technology Without Borders Shaping the Future,” bringing together 35 global opinion leaders to discuss a series of forward-looking global issues. During the event, Wang shared the practices and experiences of Moutai in green technology innovation.

Athina:
Photo: Wang Li, General Manager of Moutai Group, shares her insights into Moutai's ESG practices at Tencent Finance's 2025 Winter Davos Vision Dinner during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2025.


Photo: Wang Li, General Manager of Moutai Group, shares the practices and experiences of Moutai in green technology innovation at the Caixin·Davos CEO Luncheon during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2025.

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 Photo: Wang Li, General Manager of Moutai Group, shares the practices and experiences of Moutai in green technology innovation at the Caixin·Davos CEO Luncheon during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2025.


"Like music and art, fine wine is one of the languages that enables borderless communication between people." In her sharing, Wang stated that brewing is one of the earliest technologies humans utilized to make gourmet food using microorganisms from nature, hailed as the first generation of biotechnology. 

Chinese liquor, including Moutai, is different from other spirits in the world; it mainly employs natural mixed culture inoculation and open solid-state fermentation, with a core focus on rich microbial diversity, particularly emphasizing harmony with nature, adapting to local conditions, and following natural laws, while also striving for a balance among natural ecology, micro-ecology, and cultural ecology. 

It can be said that the essence behind this bottle of Moutai is the adherence to the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature, and the commitment to support the green development of enterprises through the innovative power of green technology. Moutai's green technological innovation includes two aspects: the enhancement of the greening level of the main value chain and the utilization of by-products from the liquor industry.

The liquor industry is Moutai's main value chain. Wang believes that the enhancement of the greening level of Moutai's main value chain is mainly reflected in “energy conservation, carbon reduction, emission reduction, and efficiency enhancement.” Moutai has implemented integrated top-level design and efficiently coordinated advances, continuously improving the green level of the main value chain in the liquor industry.

Wang stated that the utilization of by-products in the liquor industry should focus on resource utilization, greening, and high-end development. Ten years ago, Moutai actively explored the transformation of the cyclical utilization value of by-products. Today, it has completed industrialization development and achieved 100 percent resource utilization of brewing by-products such as jiu zao (the spent grain from brewing) and straw. 

Currently, Moutai is also committed to addressing the greening and high-end issues of by-products through a series of technological research and development. Wang summarized that wine originates from agricultural civilization, relies on ecological civilization, and rises in industrial civilization. Moutai will focus on applying more innovative powers and methods of green technology to maintain the uniqueness of its products.

Moutai's carbon reduction plan

Today, high-emission industrial sectors and agricultural food systems combined account for about 60 percent of global emissions. In these areas, achieving a carbon-neutral value chain requires enterprises to have ambitious goals, government support, financial investment, and disruptive business models. 

At the Pioneer Alliance leaders’ meeting, the “pioneers” proposed reference pathways on how to leverage the power of green procurement to expand the market potential. As a special guest at the meeting, Wang shared specific practices and innovative initiatives from Moutai as the food industry in reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable development.

Photo: Group discussion of the food industry group at the Pioneer Alliance leaders’ meeting

Photo: Group discussion of the food industry group at the Pioneer Alliance leaders’ meeting


 
Wang stated that in 2024, we conducted a preliminary assessment of the full lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of a bottle of Moutai liquor, categorizing its carbon footprint into five stages. Wang stated that the industry still has shortcomings in the recycling and utilization of post-consumer packaging. By 2025, Moutai will fully launch the recycling and resource utilization of post-consumer packaging. It is expected that by 2030, the carbon emissions of the entire industry chain for a bottle of Moutai liquor can be reduced by 20 percent. 

During the Davos period, Wang will also participate in the “China Night” dialogue and engage in discussions with Chinese and foreign experts on topics such as how Chinese enterprises respond to the era of intelligence and shaping of the international image of Chinese enterprises.