The progress will be driven by PepsiCo’s increased use of recycled content and alternative packaging materials for its beverage brands
Image: PepsiCo has announced plans to reduce virgin plastic by 35% across beverage portfolio. Photo: courtesy of PepsiCo.
PepsiCo has unveiled plans to decrease the usage of virgin plastic by 35% across its beverage portfolio by 2025.
As part of its sustainable packaging efforts, the company will focus on the increased use of recycled content and alternative packaging materials for its beverage brands such as LIFEWTR, bubbly and Aquafina.
The move will help PepsiCo to eliminate around 2.5 million metric tonnes of cumulative virgin plastic.
PepsiCo’s sustainable plastics vision is based on three elements
PepsiCo’s sustainable plastics vision is based on three elements such as reducing the amount of plastics used, increasing recycling rates and reinventing plastic packaging.
Earlier, the company also committed to achieve various packaging goals by 2025, including the use of 100% recyclable, compostable and biodegradable its packaging, as well as increase the use of recycled content in plastics packaging by 25%.
PepsiCo’s sustainable packaging initiatives will include the provision of 100% rPET packaging for LIFEWTR in the US and avoid the plastic packaging the bubbly brand from 2020.
The company will also start providing Aquafina in aluminium can packaging in the US foodservice outlets. It will commence brand tests in retail locations from 2020.
Brands such as Pepsi, 7UP and Mirinda are provided in refillable plastic and glass bottles in select locations across Latin America and Asia. Tropicana is provided in 50% rPET bottles in Western Europe and plans are underway to make reach 100% rPET by 2025.
By expanding its SodaStream business, PepsiCo plans to avoid an estimated 67 billion plastic bottles through 2025.
PepsiCo chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta said: “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.
“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.”
In April this year, PepsiCo unveiled a new mobile-enabled hydration platform to meet the demand for smarter and more sustainable on-the-go beverage options.