Yum China adheres to the 4R principles to build a comprehensive resource circular system that starts with source reduction and extends to end-of-life regeneration and recovery. We continuously explore innovative circular economy models tailored to the restaurant industry. Our strategy and targets focus on three key areas: sustainable packaging, food loss and waste, and waste management. Through end-to-end resource optimization and advanced circular regeneration technologies, we maximize resource efficiency while partnering with stakeholders to build a resource-efficient, environmentally responsible industry ecosystem.
*4R principle: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Replace
We are committed to managing natural resources responsibly by implementing concrete measures such as reducing food loss and waste, developing sustainable packaging solutions, and focusing on water conservation, to effectively reduce natural resource consumption in our operations.
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Yum China actively promotes and implements innovative waste management practices to continuously improve the utility of food service waste such as coffee grounds and used cooking oil (UCO), striving to build a circular, closed-loop industry chain, driving progress in the waste-to-resource sector.
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Restaurant operations, including food preparation, cooking, and cleaning, require significant water consumption. As climate change increases regional water stress, Yum China's value chain faces greater water-related risks. In response, we actively promote water conservation practices. Partnering with the World Resources Institute, we have assessed water risks across our sites. This enables us to prioritize water-saving retrofits and equipment upgrades in restaurants located in high-risk areas, consistently reducing average water consumption per restaurant.
Steam Cleaner
We have started to implement steam cleaners in restaurants to simplify the cleaning process and reduce water usage by replacing manual work, saving an average of 20kg of water per day per store.
Thawing Cabinet
We developed a new water-saving thawing cabinet, which uses air circulation instead of running water to achieve an annual water saving of 1.2 tons per cabinet.
Tailor–made Dishwasher
We have installed dishwashers in KFC stores as an alternative to manual labor. Using dishwashers can help restaurants save approximately 0.9 tons of water per store per day.
Total Water Consumption (tons)
Average Restaurant Water Consumption (tons)