PepsiCo sets new sustainability goal for 2025
PepsiCo have announced initiatives to reduce annual virgin plastic use and be 100% recyclable by 2025.
On 13 September 2019, PepsiCo announced a new target for the reduction of its virgin plastic content across its product portfolio by 2025. To reach the target, the company must eliminate 2.5mn tons of plastic from its manufacturing line. PepsiCo intends to realise this goal through increased use of recycled plastic, alternative packaging materials for its beverages, including its SodaStream business, which has transitioned to non-plastic bottles, saving 67 billion plastic bottles before 2025.
This news comes off the back of a recent announcement to match this goal alongside its LIFEWTR, Bubly and Aquafine brands.
The announcement pushes PepsiCo closer towards its “Beyond the Bottle” goal, which includes a mobile Hydration Platform, in combination with beverages coming in multiple use plastic bottles. In turn, the company can reinforce the steps it is taking to lessen its footprint on the environment and encourage consumers to make better use of the plastics at their disposal. The targets announced on the 13 September are estimated from a 2018 baseline, in which, PepsiCo used 2.2mn tons of virgin plastic.
"While our efforts are far from done, this is one more step in PepsiCo's journey toward helping to build a world where plastics need never become waste," said PepsiCo Chairman and CEO, Ramon Laguarta. "Even as we work to accelerate business growth, we continue to make important progress toward a circular economy for packaging, a responsibility we take very seriously."
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The announcement builds upon the company’s already confirmed goal to make 100% of its packaging recyclable, compostable or bio-degradable. It also plans to use 25% recycled plastic in the manufacturing of its plastic packaging. This is alongside other plans to improve the company’s sustainability in an increasingly socially conscious market. These plans include:
- PepsiCo's premium water brand LIFEWTR will be packaged in 100% rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) in the US, as the company's Naked Juice brand currently is, and Bubly will no longer be packaged in plastic, starting in 2020.
- Aquafina will begin offering aluminum can packaging in US foodservice outlets, while the brand tests the move in retail, starting in 2020.
- In select locations across Latin America and Asia, brands like Pepsi®, 7UP® and Mirinda® offer consumers refillable plastic and glass bottles.
- In Western Europe, Tropicana® relaunched using 50% rPET bottles and aims to reach 100% rPET by 2025.
"We're intentionally setting ambitious goals to drive meaningful progress," said Simon Lowden, President, PepsiCo Global Foods, who leads PepsiCo's Plastic Agenda. "PepsiCo is already one of the world's largest buyers of recycled plastic, and if there was more available, we'd buy it - and if there were more markets where we could use it, we would. We are committed, and partnership is key."
