Mengniu Included on the 2025 Fortune China ESG Impact List, as the Only Dairy Company Honored
Time：2025.05.20
On May 16, the Fortune China ESG Impact List was officially unveiled. Mengniu Dairy stood out among nearly 300 companies for its outstanding performance in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives, becoming the only dairy company on the list. This recognition not only affirms Mengniu's sustainable development strategy but also demonstrates its commitment to leveraging technological innovation and responsible practices across its supply chain to address global challenges.
Green production and low-carbon transition: Setting the "zero-carbon" benchmark in the dairy industry
In recent years, Mengniu has always prioritized green development as a core strategy. It was the first in the dairy industry to release its goals of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and has been promoting low-carbon lifecycle management across its operations.
In terms of the environmental footprint management of products, Mengniu completed carbon footprint certifications for 18 products in 2024, covering the entire chain from raw materials sourcing, production, and distribution, to use and disposal. It also established a water footprint calculation model for fresh milk products, reducing water consumption per ton by 5.3% for its core products compared to 2020.
As to green factories and digital and intelligent upgrades, by the end of 2024, Mengniu had 37 state-certified green factories, including its Ningxia factory—the world’s first dairy "lighthouse factory". Enabled by 5G and intelligent technologies, the factory has cut energy consumption by 43% while boosting productivity by 32%, setting a global benchmark for green and intelligent dairy manufacturing.
To build a deforestation-free supply chain, Mengniu has strengthened oversight of key commodities linked to deforestation: timber products, soybean products, and palm oil, by doubling down on enhancing their certification and traceability. In 2024, it reduced soybean meal use by 230,000 tons, sourced 220,000 tons of soybean meal from low-risk areas, and procured 51,000 tons of certified sustainable soybeans. Additionally, 100% of its raw milk was traceable to farms, with environmental risks minimized at the source.
Public welfare and responsibility: Safeguarding the health and wellness of the people and the environment
Social responsibility is in Mengniu’s DNA. Focusing on "inclusive nutrition", it has established a multidimensional system of public welfare initiatives spanning nutrition empowerment, emergency response, disaster relief, rural revitalization, and ecological conservation.
In 2024, Mengniu continued to implement the Inclusive Nutrition Project and donated milk to remote areas in 19 provincial regions, benefiting 118,000 children. Over 20 years, the project has reached 25 million students.
In promoting rural revitalization, Mengniu provided nearly 2.4 billion yuan in financial support to partner pastures in 2024, helping farmers and herdsmen increase income. It also donated 10 million yuan to Lhozhag County, Xizang, to boost the development of the local dairy industry.
Mengniu is always quick to respond to all sorts of calls for assistance and relief. In 2024, Mengniu participated in more than 10 disaster relief operations across six provincial regions, aiding 12,000 people and demonstrating its emergency response capabilities and social responsibility.
In ecological conservation, the company launched the “Oasis” Initiative in 2024, featuring three pillar campaigns of reforestation, science popularization, and regeneration. It mobilizes subsidiaries to engage in ecological restoration and green advocacy, communicating green values to the public, and promoting the green and sustainable development of the dairy industry.
Governance innovation and value chain leadership: Building a sustainable dairy ecosystem
Guided by its GREEN Strategy, Mengniu embeds sustainability into governance and value chain development, balancing environmental, social, and economic outcomes.
Mengniu upgraded its ESG governance framework with a "double materiality matrix" (impact plus finance), identifying 21 core topics. It released the dairy industry’s first Nature-related Information Disclosure Report (Based on Recommendations of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, TNFD) and Green Packaging Value Report, shifting ESG focus from compliance to value creation.
Mengniu prioritizes the building of a responsible supply chain as a core development strategy. It effectively identifies ESG risks in the supply chain, empowers suppliers to improve their business capabilities and ESG management levels, and fulfills environmental and social responsibilities to suppliers. By the end of 2024, 100% of its raw milk was traceable to the farm, 34 of its partner farms passed the GAP certification, 23 farms and their raw milk products achieved organic certification, and 9% of the sourced raw milk was certified as organic.
Mengniu actively promotes employee development and equality in the workplace. All its self-operated factories hold occupational health and safety certifications, and women hold 25% of executive roles, and a robust training system and growth channels enhance workforce wellness.
In recent years, Mengniu's sustainability efforts have earned acclaim from at home and abroad. It has been included in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook for two consecutive years, maintained the highest rating in the industry—AA—in the MSCI ESG ratings, and won the International Academy for Quality’s 2024 Quality Sustainability Award, the first food company in the world to receive this honor. The inclusion in the 2025 Fortune China ESG Impact List is another solid affirmation of Mengniu's sustainable development progress.
ESG is not only a corporate responsibility but a new catalyst for the high-quality development of the industry. Moving forward, Mengniu will continue to focus on “green productivity”, work with global partners to build a more resilient and sustainable dairy ecosystem, and contribute Chinese proposals for the sustainable development of the global dairy industry".