News

Yum China puts waste in 'basket'

Photo: Shenzhen City, China via iStock.

October 14, 2019

Yum China Holdings is China's first restaurant company to attain the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification. It has launched a system that converts used cooking oil into sustainable biodiesel, following a successful pilot project in Chengdu. Likewise, the company said in a news release that it has rolled out a reusable serving basket program developed in-house and used in more than 6,000 KFC restaurants across the sprawling nation.

"We are very proud to be the first restaurant company in China to supply its ISCC Certified used cooking oil as a sustainable feedstock for biodiesel production," Yum China CEO Joey Wat, said in the release. 

"The pilot biodiesel conversion project and the introduction of the reusable serving baskets in our KFC restaurants underlines our commitment to improving sustainability throughout our value chain, while making a greater positive impact on society and the environment. We will continue to leverage our strengths and scale to play a greater role in helping build a sustainable future for our planet and we will encourage our people, our partners, the communities we operate in, as well as the millions of customers we serve, to contribute as well."

Yum China launched its first biodiesel conversion pilot project in Chengdu last year and set up a data recording and tracking system with local partners covering those KFC restaurants, waste collection companies, used oil storage sites and biodiesel plants. The system records information about the used oil at every stage of the conversion process. The company plans to selectively roll out the initiative nationwide in the future. 

KFC's reusable serving basket is designed to reduce and replace disposable paper packaging use without compromising customers' in-store dining experience. The reusable serving baskets have already replaced over 10 types of disposable paper packaging for fries, chicken products and snacks. It was introduced in more than 6,000 KFC restaurants nationwide last February, after testing. As a result, KFC restaurants across the country are expected to save more than 2,000 tons of paper annual and cut restaurant waste by 20% on average.