The certificate granted to Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co (Yili Group) has been awarded the 2020 China Business Best Practice prize in Achieving SDGs (sustainable development goals), in recognition of its work in epidemic prevention and control and poverty alleviation. The announcement was made at the 2020 China Business Summit on Achieving SDGs, held in Beijing on Dec 10.

Pan Gang, president of Yili Group, was also given the title of 2020 United Nations SDGs China Pioneer. 

The certificate granted to Pan Gang, president of Yili Group. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In 2020, the outbreak of the epidemic had a great impact. Logistical interruptions, lack of materials, shortage of funds, weak technology and other issues severely affected the normal operation of the company's ranches, and endangered the foundation of the dairy industry chain.

But Yili responded quickly, and accelerated the resumption of work and production by coordinating upstream, midstream and downstream forces to ensure the supply of dairy products.

To date, Yili has provided 6.13 billion yuan ($937 million) in financial support for upstream ranches, demonstrating the responsibility of leading enterprises in the dairy industry chain.

Yili has also taken advantage of its place in the industry to invest in the construction of industrial bases in Inner Mongolia, Sichuan, Gansu and other places, and explored a new concept of "precise poverty alleviation by industrial bases"

Driven by Yili, 5 million farmers have escaped poverty.

Over the next five years, Yili will invest 30 billion yuan to help the upstream dairy industry develop, so that more farmers can increase their incomes.

In terms of both epidemic prevention and control and poverty alleviation, Yili Group, while focusing on its own development, has also assumed the leadership responsibility of the dairy industry, and makes great efforts to promote the common development of the industrial chain.

In the future, Yili will continue to play a leading role and implement the United Nations 2030 SDGs, so as to gather all forces together to build a global health ecosystem.

During the epidemic period, Yili purchases the raw milk from its cooperative ranches. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]