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Yum China is stepping up efforts to bring sustainable options to consumers

Yum China Holdings, Inc. announced that it has launched a number of plastic reduction and environmentally friendly packaging initiatives for its brands in accordance with the latest regulations in China.

This includes replacing existing plastic packaging with paper straws, paper bags, and biodegradable plastic bags. As a result of these initiatives, the company expects an annual reduction of around 8,000 tons of non-degradable plastics from 2021.

KFC China recently launched a “Be Natural Be You” sustainability campaign to raise consumer awareness of environmental concerns and promote more sustainable lifestyles, including reducing the use of single-use plastic packaging and better sorting waste.

As of January 2021, all KFC restaurants in mainland China will stop using plastic straws, and over 90% of KFC restaurants will replace single-use plastic cutlery with wooden cutlery for take-out and take away.

In addition, non-degradable plastic bags, which are used for delivery and take-away in over 50% KFC restaurants, are being replaced with paper bags or biodegradable plastic bags. By the end of 2025, all KFC restaurants will phase out non-degradable plastic bags and cutlery in mainland China.

By the end of 2020, all Pizza Hut restaurants in mainland China will have stopped using plastic straws. At the same time over 70% of Pizza Hut Restaurants across the country have replaced existing plastic bags with paper bags or biodegradable plastic bags. Building on these achievements, Pizza Hut will eliminate the use of non-degradable plastic bags by the end of 2022.

These recent measures not only meet legal requirements, but also reflect Yum China's company-wide packaging strategy, which aims to reduce single-use packaging from the source through the use of new packaging solutions, new materials and innovative technologies.

The strategy includes ensuring that all customer-facing plastic-based packaging is recyclable, refusing to purchase paper products from suppliers who knowingly cause deforestation, and reducing the weight of non-degradable plastic packaging by 30% by 2025.

"The new plastic reduction initiatives reinforce our sustainability strategy to drive meaningful change by innovating and reducing packaging," said Joey Wat, CEO of Yum China. "In line with our long-term commitment to supporting economic, social and environmental development, we are committed to working with customers, partners and all other stakeholders to promote a more sustainable future."

Based on our 4Rs Sustainability (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Replace) principles, Yum China has explored more environmentally friendly materials and designs to reduce single-use packaging from its source of use and encourage behavioral changes among the public. Since 2017, KFC China has been offering customers the option of “no cutlery” when ordering via the Super APP to encourage customers to use less disposable packaging.

In addition, KFC China launched reusable serving baskets in 2019, which saved more than 2,000 tons of paper packaging and reduced restaurant waste by around 20% in 2019. In addition to the reusable serving basket program, KFC China launched the Grassland Restoration Initiative in 2019, which encouraged over 200,000 people to help restore more than 1 million square feet of grassland in Inner Mongolia.

In 2020, Yum China was named the Industry Leader for the Restaurant and Recreation Industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) in recognition of the company's strong economic, environmental and social performance.

Yum China was also selected as a member of 2020 DJSI World and DJSI Emerging Markets. By making sustainable development an integral part of doing business, Yum China is committed to fostering mutually beneficial stakeholder relationships that add to the company's long-term value.