Pizza Hut has made progress in its efforts to make its cheese production more sustainable through a partnership with Dairy Farmers of America. The initiative focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions on participating dairy farms, according to a press release.

The program, launched in 2022, exceeded its initial goal of sourcing 50% of U.S. milk for cheese from farms enrolled in a sustainability program by 2025. By 2023, 60% of Pizza Hut's U.S. milk supply came from such farms, representing over 2.35 billion pounds of milk and 140,000 cows.

"DFA farmer-owners have always been focused on taking care of their animals and the land they farm. Companies like Pizza Hut are helping DFA bring more technologies to more farms, which helps to further reduce emissions," Jackie Klippenstein, SVP and chief government and industry relations officer at DFA, said in the release. "By working together with partners like Pizza Hut, our farmer-owners can continue to build on the good work they have been doing in new ways."

Technology plays a key role. Farmers participating in the program receive SCiO cups to analyze cow feed composition, allowing them to optimize diets and minimize methane emissions.

Pizza Hut plans to leverage these learnings in international markets. A three-year project in New Zealand will focus on farm reporting software to improve efficiency, while a two-year UK project aims to reduce methane through improved feed quality.

"With almost 20,000 restaurants, we're leveraging our iconic pizza brand and global footprint to scale innovative and sustainable practices across our business to keep amplifying and integrating good," James Watts, Pizza Hut global chief people and ESG officer, said in the release. "We're very proud of the work happening in our U.S market with DFA and have taken these learnings to new locations and other partners as we deepen our investments in sustainably sourced cheese."

These initiatives contribute to Pizza Hut and its parent company Yum! Brands' broader climate goals, including a 46% GHG reduction by 2030 and alignment with partner sustainability targets like DFA's 30% emissions reduction commitment by 2030.

Pizza Hut operates more than 18,000 restaurants in over 100 countries.

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