“Yili Ark” is a program for the protection of children that Yili and the the Western China Human Resources Development Foundation. This project promotes the idea that the best protection is to teach children to protect themselves, which is based on the philosophy that “safety is of paramount importance to achieving dreams” More than 500 Yili Ark Safety Ecological Schools have been established since 2012, and more than 70 specialized trainings on child safety have been conducted. Yili Ark has established a presence in 25 provinces and cities around the nation. Around 300,000 kids, teachers, and parents have benefited directly from these specialized trainings, which include about 20 topics like warnings against human trafficking, getting lost, sexual assault, earthquakes, fires, drowning, riots, stampedes, traffic safety, and everyday life safety.

The “Yili Nutrition 2030” platform-based public welfare project was created by Yili and the Chinese Red Cross Foundation in response to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs’ and the China Dairy Industry Association’s call for “China’s Milk Action for a Well-off Society” in 2021. The previous project, “Yili Nutrition 2020,” which had been in place for four years, was a targeted effort to alleviate poverty. In addition to implementing the two crucial initiatives for a healthier China and revitalized rural areas, Yili Nutrition 2030 will uphold its ten-year commitment and establish a platform for “Yiqi Public Welfare” that encourages participation from all sides of society. In addition, Yili tries to give nutritional materials, spread knowledge about health, and help kids realize their own aspirations by giving healthy nourishment.

Yili immediately launched the “Emergency Plan for the Control of COVID-19" and distributed nutrients to thousands of hospitals, disease control centers, clinics, quarantine observation points, public security and traffic police departments, and other front-line institutions in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across the country at the beginning of 2020, when the sudden hit of Covid-19 raged through the entire country in a short period of time. At the same time, Yili gathered resources from the global supply chain, made a purchase of 1 million masks, and shipped them to the epidemic hotspots around the nation. Additionally, through the “public welfare strategic alliance platform,” Yili collaborated with more than 30 international industrial chain partners, including Suning and Tetra Pak, to combat the global pandemic.

2013年4月20日，四川省雅安市芦山县发生的7.0级地震。4月23日凌晨，在多方共同努力下，伊利集团价值200万元的奶粉直达雅安芦山。2014年8月3日,伊利集团通过壹基金向云南昭通地震灾区捐赠了300万元的资金和200万元的物资，并在灾区建立流动服务的伊利母婴服务站，将紧缺的奶粉送到急需的母婴手中。
此外，在汶川地震、玉树地震、西南旱灾、余姚水灾、鲁甸地震、景谷地震、康定地震中，伊利都第一时间启动自然灾害应急机制，将物资送到灾区人民的手中。

2021年12月3日，伊利荣获中国社会科学院《企业社会责任蓝皮书（2021）》“2021中国企业社会责任发展指数乳品行业第一”，“碳达峰、碳中和”案例入选《环境、社会及治理（ESG）基础教材》。
2021年9月26日，2021年可持续发展论坛在北京举行。论坛发布了《中国落实2030年可持续发展议程进展报告（2021）》，伊利“产业基地精准扶贫”模式作为中国消除贫困的代表性案例被收录其中，是中国乳业唯一入选案例。
2021年9月5日，第十一届“中华慈善奖”表彰大会正式召开，凭借在抗击新冠肺炎疫情中的突出贡献，伊利荣获“捐赠企业”奖；凭借在儿童安全教育领域的丰硕成果，“伊利方舟”荣获“慈善项目”奖。
2021年7月，伊利集团《2020可持续发展报告》连续第二年获得中国社科院“五星佳”——可持续发展报告乳业最高评级。
2021年2月25日，全国脱贫攻坚总结表彰大会在北京人民大会堂隆重举行，中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席习近平向全国脱贫攻坚楷模荣誉称号获得者颁奖并发表重要讲话。大会对1981名“全国脱贫攻坚先进个人”、1501个“全国脱贫攻坚先进集体”进行了表彰。伊利集团是全国乳品行业唯一入选的“全国脱贫攻坚先进集体”，党委书记、董事长、总裁潘刚参加大会。
2020年12月，伊利荣获联合国全球契约（UNGC）中国网络“2020实现可持续发展目标企业最佳实践”，这是伊利连续第4次获得该荣誉。
2020年12月，伊利《食品企业对标联合国可持续发展目标的社会责任管理》荣获第二十七届全国企业管理现代化创新成果二等奖（国家级）。
2020年9月，伊利第三次入选了国务院扶贫办和中国社科院评选的“企业扶贫优秀案例”。