2020 Sustainability Report – recently published by PepsiCo Inc –underlines the company’s continued momentum to create favourable changes for the planet as well as people while admitting the need to tackle pressing challenges in the food system like climate change and packaging waste.
The report highlights how the food and beverage giant advanced its social-cum-sustainability agenda across its supply chain during the turbulent year.
“We are working to transform the way we create shared value by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for the planet and people,” said Ramon Laguarta, PepsiCo’s Chairman and CEO.
“This will make us a better company, with purpose more deeply integrated into our business strategy. It will also make us Faster and Stronger, enabling accelerated growth and continued investment in our people, business and communities. And we hope it will make us an example, for our partners and our peers,” Laguarta added.
2020 Sustainability Report: Focus Areas
Agriculture
PepsiCo aims to advance environmental, social and economic benefits to communities around the world by supporting practices and technologies that promote improved farmer livelihoods and agricultural resiliency such as regenerative agriculture. For instance, the company announced a Positive Agriculture ambition to spread regenerative farming practices across 7 million acres worldwide and save at least 3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2030.
Packaging
“Through continued growth of our global SodaStream business, an estimated 78 billion single-use plastic bottles will be avoided through 2025,” the report stated. The company wants to drive progress toward its vision of a world where packaging never becomes waste.
Water
PepsiCo is focused on improving agricultural water-use efficiency, local water replenishment in high water-risk areas, support for smart water policies, and adoption of best global practices .
The PepsiCo Foundation has, for example, invested over $55 million in safe water access programs, that in turn catalyzed about $700 million in additional funding from other donors.