Sustainability : Pepsi sets ambitious sustainability goal

PepsiCo recently introduced pep+ (pep Positive), a strategic end-to-end transformation with sustainability at the center of how the company will create growth and value by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for the planet and people. pep+ will guide how PepsiCo will transform its business operations: from sourcing ingredients and making and selling its products in a more sustainable way, to leveraging its more than one billion connections with consumers each day to take sustainability mainstream and engage people to make choices that are better for themselves and the planet.

"pep+ will change our brands and how they win in the market. For example, imagine Lay's will start with a potato grown sustainably on a regenerative field, and then be cooked and delivered from a Net-Zero and Net Water Positive supply chain, sold in a bio-compostable bag, with the lowest sodium levels in the market. That's a positive choice", said Ramon Laguarta, PepsiCo's Chairman and CEO.

pep+ drives action and progress across three key pillars, bringing together a number of industry-leading 2030 goals under a comprehensive framework:

Positive Agriculture: spreading regenerative practices to restore the Earth across the company’s entire agricultural footprint, approximately 7 million acres

Positive Value Chain:

Achieving Net-Zero emissions by 2040;

Becoming Net Water Positive; and

New goals to improve packaging sustainability, including reducing virgin plastic per serving by 50% and bold new goals from Pepsi and Frito-Lay brands

Positive Choices:

Leveraging the scale and reach of its global brands to drive positive impact at scale;

Evolving its portfolio into spaces that are better for the planet and people, including plant-based proteins, nuts & seeds and whole grains; and

Expanding its SodaStream business, now expected to avoid more than 200 billion plastic bottles by 2030

The company's brands across its food & beverage portfolio are accelerating their efforts to realize PepsiCo's sustainable packaging vision and leveraging their influence to educate consumers on recycling and the planetary impacts of their choices.

11 European markets are moving key Pepsi-branded2 products to 100% rPET bottles by 2022. PepsiCo estimates that shifting to a 100% rPET bottle will lower GHG emissions by approximately 30% per bottle.

In the U.S., all Pepsi-branded products will be converted to 100% rPET bottles by 2030, with Pepsi Zero Sugar beginning to be sold in 100% rPET bottles by 2022. The brand is celebrating this important move to sustainable packaging with a new consumer-centric platform leveraging fall football and driving recycling awareness, education and advocacy, which are critical because rPET availability depends on consumers' commitment to recycling.

PepsiCo has been investing in breakthrough food packaging technology and is now introducing a fully compostable bag made with plant-based materials. Starting with Off The Eaten Path, one of Frito-Lay's plant-based brands, this industrially compostable packaging will be available to consumers in the U.S. at Whole Foods stores beginning this month. Notably, the company also announced today that it is willing to work with other companies to license the same technology at no cost given the importance of creating a circular food packaging system.