When dining becomes a form of climate action, how is a century-old national sauce brand able to drive sustainability with a bottle of soy sauce? At the Shanghai Climate Week Grain Rain Forum on April 20, Lee Kum Kee delivered a vivid ESG practice that truly delighted the senses. They demonstrated a full-value-chain ESG experiment based on their various products — from oyster sauce and soy sauce to their production, packaging, and talent development.

　　During the event, the launch of the “Asian Future Table Curator Program” marked a key moment. Lee Kum Kee’s “Dream as Sustainability” took part as a pioneering curator, playing an in-depth and collaborate role in the creation of the Asian Future Table Curator Program. As a surprise guest, Lee Kum Kee Hope as Chef graduate Gu Boyu shared the company’s vision of “A Fun & Warm Kitchen”. His story injected the low-carbon philosophy of “from land to taste buds” into the tangible warmth of daily life, showcasing some of the ingenuity and innovation embodied by this new generation of chefs as they help drive climate action.

　　Hosted by Shanghai Climate Week and co-hosted by the Future Table 2030 Industry Alliance and the Global Climate Academy, the forum found core supporters in Lee Kum Kee and its “Dream as Sustainability”. This event represents an action by China, a voice from Asia, and a global standard, positioning the dining table as its starting point and systemic change as its ultimate goal.

　　Sustainable Development at the Dining Table: Lee Kum Kee Reshaping the Value Network

　　At the forum, Ms. Lai Jieshan, Director of Corporate Affairs, Lee Kum Kee China, delivered a presentation titled “Climate Action at the Dining Table: From Si Li Ji Ren to a Consensus for A Fun & Warm Kitchen”. Ms. Lai Jieshan outlined how Lee Kum Kee adheres to the “3R” environmental protection principles, building a comprehensive green system that spans the entire supply chain — from raw material management, energy conservation and emission reduction, to eco-friendly logistics in its production processes. She also highlighted innovative initiatives, such as launching the first zero-carbon hydrogen-energy transport route in the seasoning industry. From the green transformation of its products to the advocacy of green consumption, Lee Kum Kee has made every effort in constructing a fully sustainable value chain.

　　Fully aware of the critical importance of talent cultivation, Lee Kum Kee launched the Lee Kum Kee Hope as Chef program in 2011. Having run for 15 years as of this year, the program has provided scholarships to over 1,500 ambitious young people from economically underdeveloped regions across China, enabling them to study the Chinese culinary arts. This initiative has not only transformed the destinies of individuals and their families but has also turned them into advocates for sustainable dining concepts.

　　Photo: Ms. Lai Jieshan, Director of Corporate Affairs, Lee Kum Kee China, introduces its innovative program: Dream as Sustainability.

　　In March 2024, Lee Kum Kee launched its “Dream as Sustainability”. Focusing on the kitchen, the program adopts an “education + practice” model to help educate the public on sustainable development concepts. Relying on the Lee Kum Kee Hope as Chef program as the backbone, the program enters communities and schools to guide the public in transforming discarded sauce bottles into vases, aromatherapy candles, cleaning solution containers, and other lifestyle items. Green practices such as making fruit peel enzymes and recycling food waste were conducted, along with popularizing knowledge on food-waste-reducing sustainable recipes and cooking habits. To date, the program has reached multiple regions across China.

　　Photo: Lee Kum Kee has launched a low-sodium series of products, contributing to healthier Chinese cuisine and Asian culinary experiences

　　Joining the Asian Future Table Curator Program: Lee Kum Kee Moves from Single-Point Practices to Ecosystem Co-Creation

　　“Lee Kum Kee’s climate action at the dining table has forged a sustainable chain that moves from ‘teaching people to fish’ to ‘imparting a philosophy’”. In her keynote speech, Ms. Lai Jieshan explained that through the Hope as Chef program, Lee Kum Kee enables young people to master the skills needed to make a living, while instilling in them a professional ethos of respecting ingredients and revering nature. Subsequently, through the “Dream as Sustainability”, these young chefs become seeds that take root and sprout across a broader landscape, inspiring more people to re-examine the responsibility and warmth that make up the dining experience. This is the softest yet most resilient core of the sustainable program: it is not about cold statistics and emission reduction figures, but helping lives to overflow with warmth and ensuring food is treated with genuine care.

　　Photo: Knife storage organizers and sauce bottle lamps transformed by Lee Kum Kee through the “Dream as Sustainability”

　　At the forum, the Asian Future Table Curator Program was officially launched. Lee Kum Kee “Dream as Sustainability” was named among the first batch of curators. Moving forward, the brand will join hands with more industry partners to co-create around topics such as sustainable ingredients, low-carbon cooking, and food loss reduction. Together, they aim to transform eating habits from unconscious to conscious, forging a path for Asian culinary culture’s green future.

　　Sustainable Kitchen Practices by Lee Kum Kee Hope as Chef Graduates: Integrating Engagement with Warmth

　　It is worth noting that during the launch session of the Asian Future Table Curator Program, Lee Kum Kee Hope Chef Gu Boyu appeared as a special guest. Chef Gu shared his dream-chasing journey “from the mountains to the stove”, along with the moving story of his exploration of a sustainable kitchen.

　　Born in 2000 in Luding County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, Gu Boyu became a trainee of the Lee Kum Kee Hope as Chef program in 2016 after graduating from junior high school, thanks to Lee Kum Kee’s financial support. He entered Sichuan Province Chengdu Finance and Trade Vocational School to major in Chinese Culinary Arts, making this year the 10th anniversary of his journey. Over the past decade, Chef Gu has grown from a kitchen novice into the Sous Chef of Western cuisine at an international five-star hotel. He has taken part in international culinary exchanges and won national awards. However, for Gu Boyu, the most significant growth stems from beginning to truly ponder a single question: What should the future dining table look like?

　　Photo: Gu Boyu, Lee Kum Kee Hope as Chef graduate, and Gan Xinxin, Assistant Manager of Corporate Affairs, Lee Kum Kee China, share environmental protection initiatives at the event

　　The inspiration for this question came from Lee Kum Kee. In 2024, Gu Boyu became one of the first volunteers for the “Dream as Sustainability”. He ventured into communities and schools, turning the kitchen into a sustainable laboratory: transforming sauce glass bottles into water purifiers, sharing the ancient wisdom of “eating food in season”, helping young people rediscover the rhythms of nature, and turning discarded plastic bottles into useful objects. Through these seemingly small actions, Gu Boyu’s awareness of a sustainable kitchen began to take root. Last year, Chef Gu became a Brand Ambassador, continuing to champion the creation of “A Fun & Warm Kitchen”. This year, he spearheaded a collaborative partnership between the “Dream as Sustainability” and the DoubleTree by Hilton Chengdu Xinglong Lake, where he works, resulting in the production and release of a video series featuring sustainable recipes.

　　Photo: Lee Kum Kee Hope Chef graduate Gu Boyu, through the “Dream as Sustainability”, inspires more people to engage in climate action at the dining table

　　“There is no absolute waste; it is merely that new uses have not yet been discovered. It is simply that we have grown accustomed to conventional methods of disposal,” Chef Gu said. “To utilize ingredients to their utmost potential is the greatest form of respect for them.” During his past work in Western cuisine, Chef Gu noticed that “mushroom stems” were typically discarded as waste. “Throwing away so many mushroom stems is actually quite wasteful. Could they be turned into a new dish?” Consequently, Gu Boyu blended the Western cooking technique of creamy pasta with the traditional Chinese snack, spring rolls. This East-West fusion gave birth to the “Creamy Mushroom Spring Roll”, maximizing the use of mushrooms. At the forum, Gu Boyu also shared the recipe for this dish with the audience via video.

　　As a Lee Kum Kee Hope as Chef graduate, Gu Boyu has long understood the true meaning of “full utilization of ingredients,” “reducing waste,” and “turning waste into treasure” through the “Dream as Sustainability”. In the past 15 years of the Lee Kum Kee Hope as Chef program, over 1,500 youngsters from economically underdeveloped areas across China, like Gu Boyu, have changed their life trajectories with just a kitchen knife, a wok, and a stove. Among them, some have returned to their hometowns to run small restaurants; others have emerged as the backbone of starred hotels; and still others, like Gu Boyu, have begun to embrace sustainable principles to give back to cooking and their communities. These youngsters, who received care are now growing into chefs who “care for others.” Not only have they mastered the art of making dishes more visually appealing and flavorful, but they’ve also grasped how to utilize ingredients more efficiently and creatively, spreading the principles of “food conservation” and “waste reduction” to more peers and diners.

　　Photo: Lee Kum Kee cooperates with consumers to create “A Fun & Warm Kitchen”

　　In the view of Ms. Lai Jieshan, Director of Corporate Affairs, Lee Kum Kee China, sustainable development is not merely a slogan, but an extension of Lee Kum Kee’s core value of “Si Li Ji Ren”: From the green factories in Xinhui District, Guangdong, to the “A Fun & Warm Kitchen” in Chengdu’s communities, and under the spotlight of Shanghai Climate Week, Lee Kum Kee has redefined the mission of a bottle of sauce with centuries-old craftsmanship and a youthful spirit of innovation: it is not merely a carrier of flavor, but a promise connecting the land, the dining table, and the future of the planet’s climate. Lee Kum Kee firmly believes that the dining table of the future will be sustainable, warm, and engaging — a vision rooted in each act of reverence for nature and each expression of care for people. Moving forward, Lee Kum Kee will continuously cultivate young chefs with a sustainable mindset through the Lee Kum Kee Hope as Chef program, while creating more “A Fun & Warm Kitchen” through the “Dream as Sustainability”.