Executive Summary: Nanhe District in Xingtai, Hebei Province, now has 58 cat litter producers whose combined annual output and sales equal one third of the Chinese market, according to a Guangming Daily report published on 29 October 2026. The district counts 916 pet industry businesses and has led the country in pet food shipments for three consecutive years. Local litter makers convert fruitwood powder, corn starch and okara into flushable plant-based formulas, shipping about 30 containers a month to Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia.
Key Facts
- Company
- Nanhe cluster companies including Hebei Douke Pet Products, Huaxing Pet Food and Hazon Gaoke Hebei Biotechnology
- Country
- China
- Industry
- Pet food and pet supplies manufacturing, cat litter in particular
- Category
- Plant-based and mineral cat litter, dry and wet pet food, pet care liquids
- Event
- 8th China Nanhe Pet Industry Expo and 3rd Pet Industry International Chain Expo
- Date
- 29 October 2026
- Location
- Nanhe District, Xingtai, Hebei Province, China
- Source
- Guangming Daily, 29 October 2026
What Happened
Guangming Daily published a feature on 29 October 2026 describing how Nanhe, a district in southern Hebei with no port and no border, turned an agricultural base into a pet manufacturing cluster. The district now reports 916 pet industry businesses and says its pet food shipment volume has ranked first nationally for three years running. The newer layer is litter: 58 producers whose combined annual output and sales account for one third of the Chinese market.
The raw material story is the reason the cluster exists. Local firms take fruitwood powder left over from orchards, corn starch and okara from soy processing, and turn them into plant-based litter that clumps quickly, controls odour and can be flushed. Hebei Douke Pet Products runs an integrated line that feeds, pellets and dries in one pass, producing 100 to 200 tonnes a day. Its manager Hou Hao said the plant ships around 30 containers a month, more than 7,000 tonnes, to South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia.
The district’s trade fair, held as the 8th China Nanhe Pet Industry Expo alongside the 3rd Pet Industry International Chain Expo, drew 500 exhibitors and 25,000 trade buyers and produced RMB 1.6 billion of intent orders, according to figures published by Sina Finance on 27 October 2026. Organisers also took buyers from Russia and Uzbekistan into local factories.
Background
Nanhe’s pet industry began as feed milling. Huaxing Pet Food started as a feed plant in the 1990s and switched its lines to pet food in 2006, when urban pet ownership began to expand. The company now spends more than 3% of revenue on research, runs a joint research institute with Hebei Agricultural University and keeps more than 1,300 cats and dogs as taste testers. Its brands cover dry food, wet food, functional and prescription diets, treats and litter.
Once pet food reached scale, the district pushed into adjacent categories: litter, grooming liquids, deodorising sprays and pet travel products. Hazon Gaoke Hebei Biotechnology makes more than 70 products including pet deodorising disinfectants and shampoos, sold in more than 30 Chinese provinces and exported to over ten countries. The district also opened factory tours and a pet-themed park, a trust-building move aimed at buyers who want to see the production line before they sign.
Industry Context
China’s cat litter market has shifted heavily toward plant-fibre formulas made from pea fibre, corn starch and agricultural by-products, sold alongside traditional bentonite clay. Tofu litter established the category; the Nanhe version uses cheaper local waste streams, which lowers the input cost and gives the cluster an environmental argument to sell alongside the price. Buyers in Korea and Japan, where waste sorting rules are strict, are the natural first customers for a flushable product, and European distributors comparing natural cat litter with clay weigh dust and weight as closely as price.
The competitive pressure runs the other way too. Hebei, Shandong and Liaoning all host pet manufacturing belts, and the export price of commodity litter is set by the least efficient plant still running. Chinese trade coverage of the sector in October described plain contract manufacturing as a shrinking margin business, with differentiation coming either from formulation or from verifiable quality control. Nanhe is betting on both: waste-derived raw material on one side, open factory tours on the other.
Market & Business Impact
For importers, the cluster offers a single sourcing point for food, litter and care products, with container-scale volumes and OEM terms. The flushable cat litter line is its clearest export advantage. For established litter brands in Europe and North America, the cluster is a cost benchmark: plant litter made from agricultural by-products at 100 to 200 tonnes a day per plant sets a price that clay-based producers cannot match once freight is included.
The limit is brand. Cluster output is sold largely as private label or under distributor brands, and the value accrues to whoever owns the shelf. GPI’s cat litter manufacturer directory lists 266 producers worldwide for buyers comparing capacity, and its cat litter distributor records cover 94 companies that move the product into retail. The gap between those two lists is where margin concentrates.
Companies & Brands Involved
Hebei Douke Pet Products makes plant-based litter for export. Huaxing Pet Food is the district’s largest food producer, with brands across dry, wet, functional and prescription formats. Hazon Gaoke Hebei Biotechnology supplies grooming and hygiene liquids. Retail and distribution partners are not disclosed by the companies. GPI lists manufacturers and distributors by category and country.
Data & Evidence
Nanhe reports 916 pet businesses, 58 litter producers holding one third of national output and three consecutive years as the country’s largest pet food shipper. Douke runs 100 to 200 tonnes a day and ships about 30 containers, more than 7,000 tonnes, monthly to Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia. The expo recorded 500 exhibitors, 25,000 buyers and RMB 1.6 billion in intent orders.
What This Means for the Pet Industry
China’s litter supply is consolidating around agricultural by-products and export containers, which will keep downward pressure on plant litter prices in Asia and make formulation and certification, rather than capacity, the only durable differentiators for producers outside the cluster.
Key Takeaways
- Nanhe District in Hebei hosts 58 cat litter producers whose combined output equals one third of China’s cat litter market.
- The district counts 916 pet industry businesses and has ranked first nationally in pet food shipment volume for three years.
- Local plants convert fruitwood powder, corn starch and okara into flushable plant litter, producing 100 to 200 tonnes a day each.
- One producer ships about 30 containers and more than 7,000 tonnes of litter a month to Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia.
- The district’s pet expo drew 500 exhibitors and 25,000 trade buyers and generated RMB 1.6 billion of intent orders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is China’s cat litter cluster?
Nanhe District in Xingtai, Hebei Province. It has 58 litter producers and describes itself as the country’s largest cat litter production base.
What is plant-based litter made from in Nanhe?
Fruitwood powder from orchards, corn starch and okara from soy processing, all sourced locally as agricultural by-products.
How much does the cluster export?
One producer alone ships about 30 containers and more than 7,000 tonnes a month to South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia. Total cluster export volumes are not published.
Why does flushable litter matter for exports?
Korea and Japan enforce strict waste sorting, so a litter that can be flushed or composted fits household disposal rules better than clay.
What else does the cluster make?
Dry, wet, functional and prescription pet food, treats, grooming liquids, deodorising sprays and pet travel products, alongside litter.
Sources
- Primary — Guangming Daily, feature on Nanhe’s pet industry cluster, republished by People’s Daily Online, https://finance.people.com.cn/BIG5/n1/2026/1029/c1004-40823578.html, 29 October 2026
- Secondary — Sina Finance, report on the Nanhe pet expo including exhibitor, buyer and order figures, https://finance.sina.com.cn/jjxw/2026-10-27/doc-iniwrkmc1598032.shtml, 27 October 2026
Related News & GPI Data
- GPI company directory: cat litter and pet supply manufacturers in China
- GPI China country profile: production clusters, export flows and market size
- GPI rankings across pet food, litter and supplies
- GPI comparison tool for suppliers by category and country
- GPI News archive on Chinese manufacturing clusters
