Working TogetherTo Better Nourish and Protect the Planet
Lesaffre ChinaOur Mission & Commitment
Guided by Lesaffre’s global mission of “working together to better nourish and protect the planet”, Lesaffre China fully integrates sustainable development into its business operations in China. Drawing on local practice achievements in fermentation science, we advance along four dimensions: Environment, Product Innovation, Employee Development, Shared Community Value. We respond to expectations from multi-stakeholders including the environment, customers, employees, supply chain partners and communities, and achieve coordinated growth of commercial and social value.
This page presents Lesaffre China’s ESG initiatives and practices. As the first ever 2025 ESG Action Report of Lesaffre China, guided by Lesaffre Group’s global CSR report and prepared with reference to the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards and aligned with the United Nations SDGs, it systematically organises and discloses our exploration and deliverables covering environmental issues, products, employees, business conduct and social contribution for the reporting period from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025.
Click the link below to visit Lesaffre’s global website and learn more about Lesaffre Group’s global CSR report.
Lesaffre Group’s global CSR report →
President of Lesaffre Greater China
This first ESG Action Report marks an important milestone for Lesaffre China to document our responsible practices and align shared directions. Going forward, we will continue to uphold our mission of “working together to better nourish and protect the planet”, unlock the infinite potential of fermentation and microorganisms, and move forward hand-in-hand with our employees, customers, partners and local communities. Let the power of fermentation connect healthier lifestyles, a more sustainable future, and enduring co-existence between humanity and the planet.
Our Sustainability Framework4 Practice Pillars
Rooted in the Chinese local-market context, Lesaffre China carries forward Lesaffre’s global sustainability philosophy and establishes four practice pillars:
Strengthening Environmental Stewardship Through Climate, Resource and Nature Action
Environmental ResponsibilityAdvance low-carbon transition, water resource management and resource circular use to lower the environmental footprint of production and operations.
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Advancing Nutrition, Health and Product Quality
Product and InnovationLeverage fermentation technology to develop nutrition and health solutions, and uphold product quality and food safety.
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Supporting Employee Safety, Inclusion and Growth
Employees and TalentSafeguard occupational health and safety, build a diverse and inclusive workplace, and empower employees to grow together with the company.
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Building Shared Value Across Partners and Communities
Supply-Chain and CommunityBuild responsible supply chain partnerships, uphold business integrity, and carry out public welfare initiatives in collaboration with communities.
Read more →About This Report
The Lesaffre China 2025 ESG Action Report covers the reporting period January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025. Compiled with reference to the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards, it covers major operating entities of Lesaffre China in mainland China and aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Environmental ResponsibilityStrengthening Environmental Stewardship Through Climate, Resource and Nature Action
Fermentation originates from nature. Lesaffre China embeds environmental responsibility across full production workflows. We carry out systematic actions addressing climate-change response, water resource management, waste circularity and biodiversity protection, so as to realise harmonious co-existence between industrial production and ecosystems.
Low-Carbon Actions toward Green-Energy Adoption
We adopt a closed-loop management pathway — identify emission sources, data accounting, target-setting and planning, project delivery, review and optimisation. Continuous energy-saving and carbon-reduction retrofits are implemented across production sites:
- Emission sources
- Data accounting
- Target setting & planning
- Project delivery
- Review & optimisation
- Laibin, Chongzuo and Inner Mongolia Biohymn production sites have delivered energy-saving technical upgrades including magnetic-suspension / air-suspension blowers, heat-pump projects, cooling-tower automation and mechanical-vapor-recompression evaporation, to improve efficiency of utility systems and production processes.
- Long-term green power procurement is implemented. Guangxi production sites are supplied with wind power-generated green electricity of over 200 million kWh per year, optimising the energy mix and cutting operational carbon footprint.
Water Resources, Emission Control and Waste Circularity
- Implement full-process governance for wastewater treatment, waste-gas treatment and noise control. Enforce online monitoring, facility maintenance and fugitive-emission control to manage all types of pollutant discharges in compliance with regulations.
- Promote classified waste management for packaging materials, metal supplies and production by-products for recycling and reuse. Organic by-products generated from fermentation production are processed into fertiliser raw materials to return nutrients to soil, forming an “industry-agriculture” material-circulation pathway.
Research Collaboration to Empower Sustainable Agriculture
The Lesaffre China Research Grant is launched. We call for innovative projects from domestic universities and research institutes, supporting innovative research of synthetic biology and microbial fermentation in food, feed, environmental protection and sustainable agriculture fields. The initiative builds a bridge linking scientific research innovation and industrial application, and unlocks the ecological potential of microbial technologies.
Product and InnovationAdvancing Nutrition, Health and Product Quality
Drawing on local R&D and application capabilities in baking, food taste and pleasure, health care and industrial biotechnology, Lesaffre China translates fermentation science into practical market solutions tailored for China, balancing nutrition health benefits, food safety and quality assurance.
Diversified Fermentation Enabled Solutions
In response to national dietary health demands, our solutions cover multiple scenarios:
Health-Focused Baking
Optimise formulas and processes for bread, Chinese-style baked goods and frozen dough to drive nutritional upgrading of staple food.
Salt Reduction and Clean Recipes
Deploy yeast extracts for natural flavour enhancement and help customers deliver clean-label products.
Nutrition and Health Business Lines
Multiple business streams including Fermentation Nutrients, Animal Nutrition & Health and Human Nutrition & Health serve segmented demands such as microbial cultivation, livestock-aquatic-animal wellness, gut immunity and healthy ageing.
End-to-End Quality and Safety Assurance
Quality control, food-safety management and regulatory compliance run through the full chain of R&D, production, supply chain management and customer service. We implement the HACCP system and batch-traceability management, control supplier quality via audit mechanisms, and provide customers with stable and reliable products and application support through professional technical services.
Employees and TalentSupporting Employee Safety, Inclusion and Growth
Employee safety, dignity and development form the cornerstone of Lesaffre China’s continued progress. We strive to build a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace where every team member can realise their value and grow together with the company.
Safety at Every Step
Safety is set as a precondition for all work. We adhere to the principle: stop work and reassess when risks cannot be controlled.
- Manage high-risk operations such as confined-space entry, hot work and working-at-height through risk assessment, work-permit systems, engineering safeguards and emergency drills;
- Conduct occupational hazard testing and occupational health surveillance, and continuously optimise on-site protective facilities at manufacturing plants;
- Establish a safety-governance mechanism with participation from management, specialist teams and employee representatives, and encourage all staff to report hazards so as to form a continuous-improvement closed loop.
Grow through Diversity and Inclusion
We advocate diversity and equality, build dual-track career pathways for management and specialist roles, and adopt the 3E Growth Model: capability improvement is realised through challenging work-experience, collaborative feedback and formal courses.
- 01Work experience
- 02Collaborative feedback
- 03Formal courses
- Support employee career development via annual performance-and-development reviews, internal mobility, manager coaching and multi-level training;
- Deliver practical specialised training for business teams. Project-management and other tools are applied in key-account business scenarios to convert training outcomes into tangible business capabilities.
Supply-Chain and CommunityBuilding Shared Value Across Partners and Communities
We uphold responsible procurement and business integrity. Working with supply chain partners, research institutes and local communities, we build an open and sustainable value network.
Responsible Procurement and Ethical Business Conduct
Integrate environmental and quality criteria into the supplier assessment system. Establish mechanisms for supplier audit, change traceability and business continuity management. Abide by anti-corruption and fair competition rules, deliver compliance training, and safeguard a transparent and impartial business environment.
ECHO Program: Rooted in Local Community Public Welfare Work
Under Lesaffre’s global ECHO (Echoing Community, Hope and Opportunities) public welfare platform, and adapted for Chinese local needs, we leverage baking expertise for public-good work, focusing on three key directions: skills empowerment, educational support and community care.
(by the end of 2025)
teachers and students trained directly
secondary vocational students benefited indirectly
L’Hirondelle Young Bakers Program
L’Hirondelle Young Bakers Program was jointly launched by Lesaffre China and Xizhong Charity Foundation in 2021. It provides baking skills training for young students and teachers at vocational schools in remote areas.
Rural Baking Talent Development
Launch rural baking talent programs, delivering skill training for operators of rural homestays and small rural shops to support development of rural industries.
ECHO Charity Day and Community Initiatives
Organise employee-volunteer activities including community companionship, traditional-food-culture workshops and science-popularisation events, and encourage employees to contribute professional expertise to volunteer services.
