PepsiCo has reported progress across its sustainability and nutrition goals in 2024, with the snack giant reporting that it has now introduced regenerative, restorative and protective agriculture practices to some 3.5 million acres of its production landscape.
According to the company’s 2024 ESG Summary, which reported progress against its pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) targets, it sourced 89% of the global electricity needs of its company-owned operations with renewable energy last year, around 3,900 gigawatt hours.
Elsewhere, PepsiCo replenished some 24 billion litres of water back into local watersheds – around 75% of the water used at company-owned manufacturing facilities.
Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 18% compared to the company’s 2022 baseline.
‘Ongoing transformation’
“pep+ is not a sustainability strategy. It’s an ongoing transformation that powers our whole business, from innovation to production, marketing to distribution,” commented PepsiCo chairman and chief executive Ramon Laguarta.
“When we rolled out pep+ in 2021, we knew it would be important for the long-term strength of our company. Since then, we have worked towards creating value for our shareholders, customers and communities, while aiming to make PepsiCo more resilient and overcome systemic barriers that limit progress. I look forward to continuing this critical journey with our associates and partners, as we strive to prove that growth and sustainability go hand in hand.”
In terms of regenerative agriculture, PepsiCo is committed to spreading regenerative, restorative or protective practices to 10 million acres by 2030 – an area approximately the size of Switzerland.
Elsewhere, on packaging, PepsiCo reduced virgin plastic tonnage in primary packaging in key packaging markets by 5% last year, compared to 2023, and in nutrition, the company surpassed its 2025 targets for sugar and sodium reduction a year ahead of schedule.
Sustainability journey
“Our progress in 2024 shows that when we embed sustainability into the heart of our company, we not only help strengthen our communities and our planet, we also make our business more resilient,” said Jim Andrew, PepsiCo executive vice president and chief sustainability officer.
“At the same time, we know our sustainability journey will not always be linear. There are a number of obstacles that stand in the way of the systemic changes needed to continue making progress at scale.” Read more here.
