Special Topic: 2026 Sustainable Global Leaders Conference & the Second Green Industry and Sustainable Consumption Expo. The 2026 Sustainable Global Leaders Conference was held from October 20 to 22 at the Huangpu Expo Park in Shanghai. Wang Li, General Manager of China Kweichow Moutai Distillery (Group) Co., Ltd. and Acting General Manager of Kweichow Moutai Co., Ltd., attended and delivered a speech.
Wang Li stated that the connotations of sustainable development continue to expand. At the macro level, it focuses on public issues such as resource conservation, environmental protection, and intergenerational equity; at the micro level, it centers on corporate operations and industrial competition, covering dimensions including resource efficiency, environmental impact, supply chain security, and long-term risk resilience.
Over more than seventy years, Moutai has weathered multiple industry cycles while steadily advancing. The core secret lies in adhering to the principle of "doing some things and refraining from others" amid changing times, translating long-termism into long-term value, safeguarding the foundations of development, and maintaining the vitality of sustainable development.
In her view, the core of Moutai's sustainable development is safeguarding three key codes: consistent quality, distinctive character, and a deeply rooted brand. These three values rely on the synergistic nourishment of the natural ecosystem, the micro-ecosystem, and the humanistic ecosystem.
"With reverence for the 'Creator of Heaven and Earth,' we protect the natural ecosystem and create consistent quality value," Wang Li said. We often say that "without the 15.03-square-kilometer core production area of Moutai, Moutai liquor cannot be brewed." The unique temperature, humidity, purple-red soil, water systems, and vegetation together form the foundation of brewing.
Over the years, Moutai has adhered to the principles of following nature and minimizing intervention, systematically safeguarding the ecological pattern of the Moutai River valley and advancing comprehensive governance across five major directions: water, soil, air, biology, and carbon. In terms of water resources, full-cycle management and control of water intake, usage, discharge, and treatment has been achieved, with water consumption per unit of product in 2025 decreasing by 32.4% compared to 2023. In terms of spatial layout, production, living, and ecological spaces are coordinated. The energy structure continues to be optimized, with the factory area achieving 100% green electricity coverage, and the air quality excellence rate in the production area remaining stable above 98%. Biodiversity protection results are emerging, with a new plant species, Moutai Euonymus, discovered, and rare fish species such as the Chinese loach and eel reappearing in the Chishui River. Meanwhile, carbon footprint management has been extended to the entire chain of raw material cultivation, production, packaging, and logistics, with total carbon emissions in 2025 decreasing by 6.3% year-on-year, solidifying Moutai's quality foundation through a continuously improving watershed ecosystem.
"With awe for the 'invisible brewers,' we protect the micro-ecosystem and create distinctive character value," Wang Li said. We often say that "Moutai is actually brewed by microorganisms." The Moutai River valley, over a long period, has enriched and domesticated a unique microbial network. To date, 3,300 genera of microorganisms have been discovered, relying on a three-dimensional topological structure to work synergistically, creating rich and unique base liquor flavors.
To safeguard this irreplaceable micro-ecosystem, Moutai continues to carry out scientific research: mapping the microbial resource base, building a leading genetic resource bank in the single fermented food field, accumulating over 6,800 microbial genomes and more than 10.6 million gene sequences; leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as genomics to decode the stable-state mechanisms of multi-variable, highly coupled solid-state brewing, and clarifying the unique metabolic patterns of key microorganisms; conducting classified strain preservation, having now isolated and preserved 329 species of microorganisms and 3,168 strains of brewing yeast, far exceeding previous industry literature records, safeguarding the unique flavor character of Moutai liquor through scientific means.
"With respect for the 'inheritors of craftsmanship,' we protect the humanistic ecosystem and create enduring brand value," Wang Li said. A bottle of Moutai is the result of generations of craftsmen passing down skills hand to heart and adhering to traditional techniques. Over the years, consumers have favored Moutai, choosing not just a good bottle of liquor but a trustworthy brand. Moutai's protection of the humanistic ecosystem means practicing the values of "fragrant liquor, upright conduct, and harmonious people" and inheriting the spirit of craftsmanship.
Moutai advocates the professional attitude of "choosing one thing and dedicating a lifetime to it," strictly adhering to traditional process standards, ensuring no omissions, no carelessness, no frugality, and no extravagance; upholds the spirit of "doing one trade and mastering it," continuously exploring brewing principles, strengthening full-chain quality control, and ensuring consistent product flavor; and embraces the pursuit of "entering a trade and loving it," guiding employees to align personal value with corporate development, promoting the continuation of craftsmanship from generation to generation, and solidifying Moutai's brand foundation.
Wang Li concluded that the natural ecosystem lays the foundation, the micro-ecosystem solidifies the core, and the humanistic ecosystem strengthens the body. The three ecosystems support each other and are dialectically unified, jointly carrying Moutai's quality, character, and brand value. At the same time, Moutai adheres to long-termism, providing consumers with high-quality products, rewarding shareholders with steady operations and continuous dividends, caring for employees' occupational health, achieving mutual benefit and win-win with partners across the entire industrial chain, and sharing development results with society, jointly building a closely connected and resilient commercial ecosystem. Together with the natural ecosystem, micro-ecosystem, and humanistic ecosystem, this constructs a stable ecosystem that supports Moutai's steady and far-reaching development.
Looking to the future, Wang Li stated that Moutai will continue to anchor itself in long-termism, persistently safeguard the natural, micro-, and humanistic ecosystems, sincerely treat every stakeholder, and support the company's high-quality and sustainable development through the stability of its ecosystem.
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