SHANGHAI, April 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: YUMC and HKEX: 9987, "Yum China" or the "Company") today announced that it has published its 2024 Sustainability Report. This report outlines the achievements and ongoing progress towards Yum China's sustainability goals in three focus areas: People, Environment and Food.
Key highlights from the report include:
Yum China is dedicated to the "People First" philosophy, focusing on effectively supporting our frontline staff and maintaining a strong connection with them. The Company continued to empower Restaurant General Managers (RGMs) through operational improvements and digital tools to help them manage routine tasks more efficiently, allowing them to focus more on customer service. Examples include centralized recruitment and the use of AI technology in initial resume screening and interview scheduling.
Yum China strives to make sure high-performing RGMs have a stake in their collective accomplishments. By the end of 2024, the Company awarded Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) to over 14,700 RGMs. The Company is dedicated to preparing all employees to be "future-ready". This includes offering a range of new courses on using AI tools and providing sponsorships to more than 6,800 employees for obtaining higher educational diplomas, degrees and professional accreditations.
Yum China is vigorously driving its low-carbon transition by pursuing energy savings and adopting cost-effective, scalable renewable energy solutions where possible. In 2024, the Company increased its renewable energy usage by 370% year-over-year, while achieving an ~8% average carbon footprint reduction per restaurant compared with the previous year. In addition, the Company continued to share experience and resources on green energy transformation with key suppliers through the Yum China DPV & VPPA Alliance (the "Alliance"). Collectively, the Alliance achieved 270,000 MWh of renewable energy usage in 2024.
Yum China is constantly innovating to reduce food waste, re-use and recycle waste materials, as well as replace our existing materials with more sustainable options when appropriate. For example, in 2024, the Company expanded its coffee grounds collection network to approximately 8,700 restaurants, recycling approximately 2,000 tons of grounds, and proactively explored the usage of recycled coffee grounds in various products.
In 2024, Yum China responded to China's Outline of the 'Healthy China 2030 Plan' and National Nutrition Plan (2017-2030), leveraging its leading food innovation capabilities and extensive supplier resources to develop a range of delicious menu items with reduced sugar and salt content. Examples include KFC's Reduced-Salt Original Recipe Chicken Sandwich, Pizza Hut's reduced calorie Energy Bowl, and Taco Bell's Beef Power Bowl.
Yum China focuses on three high-impact areas for its philanthropic initiatives – rural revitalization, health advocacy and community care. The Company's flagship "One Yuan Donation" program, now in its 17th year, has cumulatively raised over RMB 270 million by the end of 2024, funding more than 58 million nutritious meals for children in underdeveloped regions, and modernizing kitchen facilities at over 1,500 rural schools.
"Navigating the complexities of sustainability requires innovative solutions that balance the needs of all stakeholders – employees, customers, partners, shareholders, and others." said Joey Wat, CEO of Yum China. "In 2025 and beyond, Yum China will continue collaborating closely with stakeholders to achieve our sustainability goals. As we pursue opportunities and deliver shareholder value, we remain anchored in ethical, responsible practices – driven by our vision to build a more sustainable future for all."
Yum China continued to receive external recognition for its sustainability initiatives in 2024.
The Company was ranked industry No.1 in S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) and was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and the Dow Jones Sustainability Emerging Market Index (DJSI Emerging Markets) for the fifth consecutive year. Yum China is the only company in the consumer services industry from Mainland China to be included as a member of DJSI World.
The Company also attained the industry highest ranking ("AA") in MSCI ESG rating.
The Company was named as a "China Top Employer" by the Top Employers Institute for the seventh consecutive year, ranked as No. 2 overall in China.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. We intend all forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and by the use of forward-looking words such as "expect," "expectation," "believe," "anticipate," "may," "could," "intend," "belief," "plan," "estimate," "target," "predict," "project," "likely," "will," "continue," "should," "forecast," "outlook," "commit" or similar terminology. These statements are based on current estimates and assumptions made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that we believe are appropriate and reasonable under the circumstances, but there can be no assurance that such estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance and are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and could cause our actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by those statements. We cannot assure you that any of our expectations, estimates or assumptions will be achieved. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are only made as of the date of this press release, and we disclaim any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law. Numerous factors could cause our actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. In addition, other risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial could affect the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements should be evaluated with the understanding of their inherent uncertainty. You should consult our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including the information set forth under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q) for additional detail about factors that could affect our financial and other results.
About Yum China Holdings, Inc.
Yum China is the largest restaurant company in China with a mission to make every life taste beautiful. The Company operates over 16,000 restaurants under six brands across over 2,200 cities in China. KFC and Pizza Hut are the leading brands in the quick-service and casual dining restaurant spaces in China, respectively. In addition, Yum China has partnered with Lavazza to develop the Lavazza coffee concept in China. Little Sheep and Huang Ji Huang specialize in Chinese cuisine. Taco Bell offers innovative Mexican-inspired food. Yum China has a world-class, digitalized supply chain, which includes an extensive network of logistics centers nationwide and an in-house supply chain management system. Its strong digital capabilities and loyalty program enable the Company to reach customers faster and serve them better. Yum China is a Fortune 500 company with the vision to be the world's most innovative pioneer in the restaurant industry. For more information, please visit http://ir.yumchina.com.
