News

KFC pledges all plastic customer packaging recoverable or reusable by 2025

January 24, 2019

KFC said today that it pledges by 2025 that all its plastic-based, consumer-facing packaging will be recoverable or reusable, a news release said. 

"As a global brand that operates more than 22,000 restaurants in over 135 countries, KFC is in a position to have a real impact on how the industry approaches waste and packaging management overall," KFC CEO Tony Lowings,said in the release. "With environmental sustainability as a core aspect of how we do business, this commitment represents a public acknowledgment of the obligation we have to address these serious issues."

To meet its goals, KFC will work with major suppliers and franchisees globally to identify plastic alternatives in each market. The chain will also:

• Audit current systems with franchisees to identify plastic waste reduction opportunities.
• Work with suppliers to identify sustainable alternatives for items like straws, plastic bags, cutlery and lids.
• Establish market-specific reduction, reuse and recycling goals.

The brand said it will also support its franchisees in defining their own sustainability plan, with each market continuing to have its own additional local sustainability goals, based on local market conditions and regulations. In fact, several markets have already begun actions to curtail the use of plastics, including: 

• KFC Singapore: Goal to stop providing plastic straws and lids in 84 restaurants.
• KFC Romania and France: Goal to replace all plastic straws with paper.
• KFC India: Removal of restaurant consumer plastic bags and ongoing transition to sustainable options for plastic cups, bowls, sporks and straws.

Parent company, Yum Brands is working to source all its fiber-based packaging from certified or recycled sources by 2020 and has committed to global packaging innovation by becoming a supporting partner of the food packaging alternative effort, NextGen Consortium.