The liquor giant China Kweichow Moutai (Group) Distillery Co., Ltd. (Moutai Group) and global new energy leader CATL have signed a strategic agreement to drive sustainable innovation in traditional manufacturing. The partnership, announced on 18 April, marks a pivotal collaboration between a traditional industry titan and a clean-tech pioneer, focusing on low-carbon transformation, smart manufacturing and new energy integration.

The duo will prioritise building net-zero and digital factories, electrifying logistics fleets, and deploying solar power and energy storage solutions across Moutai’s operations. A key goal is to decarbonise Moutai’s vast logistics network through electric heavy-duty trucks and charging infrastructure, while integrating CATL’s solar and storage technology with Moutai’s rooftop installations to create a large-scale ‘solar-storage-charging’ hub in manufacturing. The projects will also include energy-carbon management and the development of digital twin factories, with the first phase of initiatives to be launched in late 2025.

Moutai, a leader in China’s baijiu sector, aims to leverage CATL’s expertise in zero-carbon technology to reduce emissions in manufacturing, warehousing and transportation, while optimising its energy mix. For CATL, the partnership expands the real-world applications for its renewable solutions.

Industry analysts have hailed the collaboration as a pioneering model for energy-intensive sectors, combining traditional operations with cutting-edge green technology to create replicable low-carbon benchmarks. The agreement also opens the door to future collaboration in carbon assets and green finance, positioning the two companies as leaders in sustainable industrial transformation.