New year, new plastic-reduction commitments! Yum China Holdings, Inc. —
parent company of Western fast-food favorites including KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco
Bell in mainland China — has launched a series of plastic-reduction and
environmentally friendly packaging initiatives across its brands in line with
the latest regulations in China. The company has committed to replace existing
plastic packaging with paper straws, paper bags, and biodegradable plastic bags
across its restaurants — and expects a reduction of approximately 8,000 tons of
non-degradable plastics annually starting this year.
KFC China recently launched a "Be Natural, Be You" sustainability campaign to
foster consumer awareness of environmental protection and encourage more
sustainable lifestyles, including reducing the use of disposable plastic
packaging and better waste sorting.
From January 2021, all KFC restaurants in mainland China will stop using plastic
straws and over 90% of KFC restaurants will replace disposable plastic cutlery
with wooden cutlery for dine-in and takeaway. In addition, non-degradable
plastic bags used for delivery and takeaway in over 50% KFC restaurants will be
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.
As of the end of 2020, all Pizza Hut restaurants in mainland China have
eliminated the use of 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.
In addition to complying with regulatory requirements, these latest actions
reflect Yum China's company-wide packaging strategy that aims to reduce
disposable packaging from source through the use of new packaging solutions, new
materials, as well as innovative technologies. The strategy includes ensuring
that all customer facing, plastic-based packaging is recyclable, refusing to
purchase paper products from suppliers that knowingly cause deforestation, and
working towards a 30% reduction on non-degradable plastic packaging weight by
2025.
"The new plastic reduction initiatives reinforce our sustainability strategy to
drive meaningful change through packaging innovation and reduction." said Joey
Wat, CEO of Yum China. "In line with our long-term commitment of supporting
economic, social and environmental development, we are committed to working with
customers, partners, and all other stakeholders to promote a more sustainable
future."
Yum China says it has been exploring more sustainable materials and designs to
reduce disposable packaging from source of use and encourage consumer behavior
change. Since 2017, KFC China has provided a "No Cutlery" option for customers
when placing an order via its Super APP, to encourage them to reduce the use of
disposable packaging. In addition, KFC China rolled out reusable serving baskets
in 2019, which saved more than 2,000 tons of paper packaging and reduced
restaurant waste in 2019 by approximately 20%. In addition to the reusable
serving basket program, KFC China launched the Grassland Restoration Initiative
in 2019, which encouraged over 200,000 people to give their support to the
restoration of more than 1 million square meters of grassland in Inner Mongolia.
In 2020, Yum China was named the Industry Leader for the Restaurant & Leisure
Facilities Industry in Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) in recognition of
the Company's strong performance across economic, environmental and social
dimensions. Yum China was also selected as a member of 2020 DJSI World and DJSI
Emerging Markets. By making sustainable development an integral part of business
operations, Yum China is committed to promoting mutually beneficial stakeholder
relationships that enhance the Company's long-term value.
Published Jan 11, 2021 1pm EST / 10am PST / 6pm GMT / 7pm CET
Sustainable Brands Staff
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