CHINA – Yili Group has made sustainability strides with the unveiling of the first “zero-carbon factory” in China’s food industry.
The facility known as Yili Yunnan Dairy received the PAS 2060 certification from Bureau Veritas, a French company specializing in the testing, inspection and certification of carbon neutrality.
First established in 2012, Yili Yunnan Dairy is no stranger to sustainability and in 2020, it became the first Chinese dairy producer to be publicly committed to becoming carbon neutral.
Through continuous efforts focused on energy management, the factory’s total energy consumption has steadily declined, falling 15.7% year-on-year to 28.77 kilograms per ton in 2021.
Last year, Yili Yunnan Dairy received the first “green electricity certificate” in China’s food industry in recognition of its energy efforts.
The carbon-neutral certification comes as the Chinese dairy continues to accelerate the pace of its green development, energy-saving and carbon reduction efforts.
The company has carried out corporate carbon inventory assessments for 12 consecutive years and established a comprehensive data accounting system for energy and environmental protection.
It is also recognized for establishing the Yili Future Intelligence and Health Valley in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, which will become China’s first five-star project for carbon neutrality.
By the end of 2021, 23 Yili factories had been rated “green factories” by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
Yili was also recently selected as the world’s only corporate representative from the agriculture and food sector to be featured in the Corporate Net Zero Pathway report.
Earlier, Yili Group announced that it has extended its contract with Mindshare China and expanded its remit to help strengthen the brand’s position in China.
In addition to handling media duties in China and Southeast Asia, Mindshare China will also be responsible for social media influencer planning and pan-entertainment planning.
“We are incredibly honoured to expand our longstanding relationship with Yili as their growth partner, whose business has grown from strength to strength over the past decade.
Our entire team is committed to continuing to foster this partnership while delivering the innovation and media excellence that Yili Group needs to become the world’s top dairy provider within this decade,” said Benjamin Condit, Mindshare China CEO.
Mindshare China works with other F&B brands in China too. Last year, Yum! China retained Mindshare China as its media agency without a pitch, extending a partnership that began in 1997.
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