Muyuan's Green Revolution: From Pig Farm to ESG Powerhouse

BEIJING – April 13, 2026 – In a significant nod to the greening of China's agricultural sector, Muyuan, the nation's leading pig producer, was honored as a Role-Model Enterprise at the 2026 China ESG Gala. The award recognizes the company's pioneering work in sustainable farming, which is challenging long-held beliefs about the environmental impact of large-scale agriculture and aligning corporate strategy with national priorities for food security and green development.

At the ceremony, Muyuan's Chairman, Qin Yinglin, framed the company's mission using a powerful metaphor of "family," linking the stability of the nation to the security of its food supply. This recognition places a spotlight on a company that, in 2025 alone, claims to have achieved a carbon reduction equivalent to planting 600 million trees, all while supplying nearly 78 million pigs to the market.

Redefining the Carbon Hoofprint

Muyuan is aggressively moving to dismantle the stereotype that agriculture cannot be an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) benchmark. The company reported a total carbon emission reduction of 6.0588 million tons across its entire industrial chain in 2025. Even more striking is its reported carbon emission intensity of just 0.883 kg of CO₂ equivalent per kilogram of pork produced, a figure that sets a new standard for the industry.

These impressive metrics are not just self-declared. Muyuan has been a pivotal force in establishing a national framework for these measurements, participating in the formulation of China's first national standard for the carbon footprint of livestock products (GB/T 44903-2024). This involvement lends significant credibility to its internal accounting and demonstrates a commitment to transparent, standardized reporting that can be applied industry-wide. By helping to write the rules, Muyuan is positioning itself not just as a participant in the green transition, but as an architect of it.

The company’s approach is guided by its “Five Plus” and “Five Minus” green development concepts, which focus on adding value through technology and safety while reducing waste, emissions, and resource consumption. This philosophy underscores a fundamental shift from viewing environmental measures as a cost to seeing them as a core component of high-quality, efficient production.

The Billion-Yuan Circular Economy

At the heart of Muyuan's ESG success is its innovative crop-livestock cycle model, an intricate system designed to achieve 100% resource utilization of pig manure and urine. Rather than treating animal waste as a pollutant requiring costly disposal, Muyuan has transformed it into a valuable asset. The processed waste is used as organic fertilizer, returning vital nutrients to the soil across a vast network of farmland.

In 2025, this circular system serviced 4.92 million mu (approximately 328,000 hectares) of farmland. The direct economic impact is substantial, with the company reporting an increase in local farmers' annual income by over CNY 1 billion. This boost comes from providing free, high-quality organic fertilizer, which reduces farmers' reliance on expensive chemical alternatives, and by offering comprehensive agricultural technology services to improve crop yields and soil health.

The model's efficacy is perhaps most dramatically demonstrated in its land reclamation projects. In regions like Da'an in Jilin Province, Muyuan's program has helped improve 300,000 mu (20,000 hectares) of barren saline-alkali land. By applying organic matter from its farms, the company has helped turn this once-unproductive soil into fertile farmland capable of producing high-yield rice crops, with some fields exceeding 6,750 kg per hectare.

While the use of manure as fertilizer is an ancient practice, Muyuan's achievement is one of scale and systematic execution. The company’s claim of 100% resource utilization stands in stark contrast to the broader industry, where recent studies suggest that a significant portion of farms have yet to adopt sustainable manure management techniques. Muyuan’s integrated, self-sufficient production chain provides the control necessary to close the loop on a massive scale.

A Blueprint for National Food Security

Muyuan's green initiatives are not being pursued in a vacuum. They are deeply intertwined with China's most pressing national strategies, including food security, rural revitalization, and environmental protection. The government's "Plan for Accelerating the Construction of a Strong Agricultural Nation (2024–2035)" explicitly calls for a transition to a green, low-carbon agricultural model, emphasizing technological innovation and enhanced soil protection.

By turning waste into a resource that improves farmland and boosts grain yields, Muyuan's model directly supports the national objective of increasing domestic food production capacity. The philosophy that "with pigs and grain, the nation is secure" is being realized through a system where a thriving livestock industry actively contributes to the health of the croplands that feed both people and animals. This synergy is a powerful example of how private enterprise can align with and execute public policy goals for mutual benefit.

Furthermore, by increasing incomes in rural areas and creating a more sustainable and resilient agricultural ecosystem, the company's efforts contribute directly to China's rural revitalization strategy. This holistic approach, which combines environmental stewardship with economic prosperity, is what Muyuan hopes to offer as a "Chinese Solution" for the complex challenges facing global agriculture.

Leading a Greener Herd

As the world's largest pig producer, Muyuan's actions have an outsized impact on the industry. Its strong financial performance in 2024, with a net profit of 18.925 billion yuan after a previous year's loss, suggests that its heavy investment in technology and sustainability is paying off. This success sends a powerful message to the market: ESG is not just a responsibility, but a pathway to high-quality development and profitability.

The company is not alone in its green ambitions. Other major players in China's pork industry, such as Yunnan Shennong Group, are also implementing robust ESG frameworks, signaling an industry-wide shift. This competitive push for sustainability is accelerating the modernization of a sector that was once dominated by scattered, small-scale household farms.

While the specific credentials of the "2026 China ESG Gala" are emerging, the award itself is part of a larger, maturing ecosystem of corporate accountability in China. A growing number of reputable, third-party audited awards are creating a landscape where ESG claims are increasingly scrutinized and validated. For Muyuan, this award serves as a milestone, validating its past efforts and setting a high bar for its future, as it continues to prove that what is good for the environment can also be good for business and the nation.