Yum! Brands

Key Findings and Recommendations

• Corporate Commitment: Yum! Brands has no public written safer chemicals policy and made no public commitment to safer alternatives in products, packaging, or operations. The company does have a sustainable packaging policy that includes a commitment to phase out PFAS, BPA, and phthalates in packaging by 2025, but it has not committed to ensuring packaging does not include any other highly hazardous chemicals. Yum! Brands should publicly commit to develop and implement a corporate safer chemicals policy and actively explore best practices with peer organizations and outside experts.
• Transparency: There is no indication Yum! Brands requires suppliers to disclose chemical ingredients or plastics to the retailer or consumers, nor that it requires testing to ensure products are free of hazardous chemicals or plastics beyond regulatory compliance. Yum! Brands should require ingredient disclosure, verify accuracy, and evaluate its chemical footprint.
• Ban the Bad: Yum Brands has eliminated 99 percent of expanded polystyrene from its private-label packaging. It has also set a goal to phase out PFAS, phthalates, and BPA in packaging, but has not publicly reported on progress toward that goal. Yum! Brands should adopt a mandatory restricted substances list (RSL) for chemicals and plastics of high concern in packaging and publicly report on its progress in meeting those goals.
• Safer Solutions: There is no indication that Yum! Brands has supported the development or sale of safer products. Yum! Brands should work to ensure substitutes for chemicals and plastics of high concern are safer for the health of consumers, communities, workers, and the environment.