The 15th Global Dairy Congress was held in Laval, France from June 14-16, during which the 2022 World Dairy Innovation Awards, which are known as the "Global Dairy Annual Innovation Benchmark," were officially announced. Yili Group and its subsidiary holding company, Ausnutria were nominated for thirteen awards and won six major awards, including Best Packaging Design, Best Infant and Infant Nutritional Dairy Products, Best Lactose Intolerant-friendly Dairy Product, Best Ice Cream, Best Cheese, and Best Dairy Snack. With the highest number of awards won, they reaffirmed their position as the leading dairy company in the world and once again set the pace for the global industry.

The World Dairy Innovation Awards, initiated by the global authoritative industry media FoodBev, are known as the "Global Dairy Annual Innovation Benchmark." This year's awards had 123 entries from 19 countries and 21 categories. After rigorous evaluation by expert judges, "Satine Gradient-colored Multi-layer Innovative Tiger Year Zodiac Bottle Limited Edition" won Best Packaging Design, ''Kabrita Goat Milk Toddler Formula Powder'' won Best Infant and Toddler Nutritional Dairy Product. "SHUHUA Lactose Free Milk for Dad" won Best Lactose Intolerant-friendly Dairy Product , "NOC Xujinhuan 3D Fresh Milk Ice Cream" won the Best Ice Cream Award, "Yili Ambient Cheese Lollipop" won the Best Cheese Award, and "Yili Squeezable Cheese" won the Best Dairy Snack, demonstrating their innovative strength across the board. In addition, "Changqing Black Label Protein Artisan Yogurt" was shortlisted as Best Yogurt recommendations.

Jonathan McGowan, Market Director of FoodBev said: "Congratulations to Yili Group for their outstanding achievements in the World Dairy Innovation Awards! This once again proves that Yili, as an industry leader, not only never stops on the road of product innovation, but also constantly promotes the development of the global dairy industry."

Yili upgrades its European R&D Center

The credit goes to the Yili’s global innovation system. Yili has established 15 major innovation centers worldwide, and integrated domestic and foreign talents, intellectual resources, and other resources to create a "Global Intelligence Chain" covering Asia, Europe, Oceania, the Americas, and other regions. As one of the top five global dairy companies and the number one dairy company in Asia, Yili Group was invited to share China's dairy industry solutions and voice at the conference. Dr. Yun Zhanyou, Assistant President of Yili Group, said in his keynote speech on the "Innovation for the Future" panel of the main forum that "Yili takes the goal of 'comprehensive value leadership' proposed by Chairman Pan Gang as its lead, uses innovation to drive development, and is committed to creating healthy products that meet the needs of all people, all consumption scenarios, and all life cycles; embraces the global sustainable development trend, launches zero-carbon products, builds zero-carbon factories, releases carbon-neutral road maps, and joins hands with the entire industry chain to build a zero-carbon future." Dr. Gerrit Smit, Director of Yili Europe R&D Center, attended a roundtable closed-door meeting and had in-depth exchanges with conference guests.

Putting consumers first and safeguarding health with innovative products

Putting consumers at the center is the principle that Yili has always adhered to. Yili, with its hardcore innovation capabilities, has created healthy products that meet the needs of all people, all consumption scenarios, and all life cycles. "Satine Gradient-colored Multi-layer Innovative Tiger Year Zodiac Bottle Limited Edition" which won the Best Packaging Design Award, applies "Gradient multilayer PET technology" to milk packaging, filling the technological gap in China's dairy industry. Yili's "SHUHUA Lactose Free Milk for Dad" is designed for lactose intolerant people, with 50% more natural calcium and added vitamins and other nutrients, making milk a source of nutrition for fathers, and thus winning the Best Lactose Intolerant Friendly Dairy Product Award. The Best Infant and Toddler Nutritional Dairy Product ''Kabrita Goat Milk Toddler Formula Powder'' has been upgraded in packaging, formula, milk source, and technology, making it better able to retain the natural flavor of goat's milk and promoting infant intellectual development and natural growth. "Yili Squeezable Cheese" which won the Best Dairy Snack Award, is a dairy snack specifically designed for children aged 3 to 8, containing 5 times the calcium of milk and added dietary fiber for better nutrition and health. In addition, Yili also understands consumers' common demand for shelf-stable, high-nutrition cheese sticks, and has developed the "Yili Ambient Cheese Lollipop," allowing consumers to supplement the best cheese nutrition anytime, anywhere and winning the Best Cheese Award. The judges of the World Dairy Innovation Awards believe that "Yili accurately identified market gaps and launched innovative products that combine aesthetics and deliciousness, reflecting the company's unchanged original intention to provide better products for consumers."

A Bird’s-Eye View of Yili Modern Intelligent Health Valley

From developing "quality milk" to building a "leading dairy industry," Yili is also constantly expanding the boundaries of industry innovation. At the forum, Dr. Yun Zhanyou introduced the latest developments of the Yili Modern Intelligent Health Valley project to the guests: "Yili's liquid milk is globally manufactured in the Yili Modern Intelligent Health Valley.

Embrace a "net zero carbon " future to create greater value for society.

Against the backdrop of the "carbon peaking and net zero carbon " policy, green consumption has become a new trend of the times, and "net zero carbon emission" is the new blueprint that Yili has drawn for the future. On April 8th, Yili Group officially released the "Yili Group Zero Carbon Future Plan" and the "Yili Group Zero Carbon Future Plan Roadmap", becoming the first company in China's food industry to announce its dual-carbon targets and road map. Currently, the first "zero-carbon milk", "zero-carbon milk powder", "zero-carbon yogurt", and "zero-carbon ice cream" have been developed by Yili.

On June 13th, Yili's sub-brand NOC Xujinhuan's "Carbon Neutral Peach Ice Cream" was launched, becoming China's first "zero-carbon ice cream". Today, the "NOC Xujinhuan 3D Fresh Milk Ice Cream" has won the award for Best Ice Cream. Its inspiration comes from the beauty of Chinese folding fans, and the recipe only uses fresh milk without adding a drop of water, making it a nutritious and culturally rich ice cream product. Meanwhile, the "Changqing Black Label Protein Artisan Yogurt", which was highly recommended for the best yogurt, is also China's first "zero-carbon yogurt". It has completed carbon neutrality in the entire life cycle including raw material acquisition, production and transportation, product production, transportation, use, and waste disposal.

Recently, Yili once again led the industry by launching environmentally friendly milk packaging that is "printing-free and ink-free". The outer box is made up of 80% recycled paper from society, and uses inkless printing technology, which saves about 60% of ink usage compared to conventional packaging. The use of more environmentally friendly paper handles can reduce approximately 260 kilograms of plastic for every 100,000 outer boxes. Continuing to practice the concept of green and sustainable development, Yili has always been "one step ahead" and together with more partners and consumers, they are promoting the "zero-carbon" movement, adding a touch of green to our environment and making our planet cleaner.

Yili Quality Pasture in New Zealand

In 2021, Yili Group achieved revenue of 110.6 billion yuan, becoming the first Asian dairy company with revenue exceeding 100 billion yuan, and officially establishing a new pattern of "one superpower and multiple strong players" in the dairy industry. Yili once again topped the list of World Dairy Innovation Awards, further confirming Yili's leading advantage in global dairy innovation, and will continue to empower its various business categories to promote sustainable growth in business performance. At the same time, anchoring the zero-carbon future, Yili will continue to share sustainable development wisdom and experience with the world, promote the integration of commercial value and social value, and achieve "comprehensive value leadership".