Environmental Leader

PepsiCo has saved more than 750,000 megawatt hours of energy and more than 7.5 billion liters of water as a result of gains in energy and water efficiency compared to the 2006 baseline, according to the company’s 2008 Corporate Citizenship Report (PDF).

The food and beverage company is committed to cutting company-wide water use by 20 percent, electricity by 20 percent and fuel by 25 percent by 2015, compared to 2006 usage levels.

PepsiCo is also working on environmental sustainability efforts in the area of packaging. In 2008, PepsiCo introduced a new half-liter bottle for its Aquafina flavored waters, Lipton Iced Teas, and Tropicana juice drinks. The new bottle contains 20 percent less plastic than the previous bottle and its label is 10 percent smaller than before.

These reductions are taking nearly 6 million kilograms of packaging out of the system each year and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 18,000 metric tons annually, according to PepsiCo. That’s equivalent to taking 3,350 cars off the road annually, according to the company.

However, PepsiCo’s greenhouse gas emissions increased to 3.76 million metric tons in 2008, up from 3.71 million metric tons in 2007.

In addition, the company’s Walkers crisps brand reduced its energy use per pack by one-third and its water use by 42 percent, following its carbon certification in 2000.

In 2008, PepsiCo formed a $6 million, three-year partnership with The Earth Institute at Columbia University and the PepsiCo Foundation that includes a series of community-based activities to address water, agriculture and climate issues.

The company also developed Sustainability Engineering Guidelines based on LEED standards and established a Sustainable Agriculture Council to ensure that environmental impacts are considered in its agricultural research, development and management decision making.