PepsiCo Sustainability Initiatives Delivered More Than $375 Million in Estimated Cost Savings Since 2010

PURCHASE, N.Y., Sept. 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP) today announced that its environmental sustainability programs saved the company more than $375 million since its goals were established in 2010. The savings were achieved through the continued progress of the company's water, energy, packaging and waste-reduction initiatives. During the same time period, the company delivered double-digit net revenue and operating profit growth¹ – demonstrating that investments in sustainability are mutually beneficial for business and society.

These efforts are part of the company's commitment to Performance with Purpose, which is PepsiCo's vision to deliver financial performance over the long term by integrating sustainability into its business strategy, leaving a positive imprint on society and the environment. The company's achievements and progress are detailed in its 2014 Corporate Sustainability Report, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Report and first-ever sustainability microsite, howwillwe.com.

"Performance with Purpose helps drive our business growth and prepares us to meet the needs of our changing world," said Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo. "As leaders gather this month to adopt the UN Sustainable Development Goals, PepsiCo will reflect on progress made to date and renew its focus on doing more in the years ahead. By continuing to apply our scale and capabilities to address shared societal challenges, we will further strengthen our company and the communities where we operate."

Highlights of the company's 2014 sustainability progress include the following:

• PepsiCo reduced its water use per unit of production by 23 percent since 2006, already exceeding its public target of a 20 percent reduction by the end of the 2015. This delivered cost savings of approximately $17 million in 2014. In addition, the company's absolute water use decreased by approximately one billion liters in 2014.
• In 2014, the company held absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for legacy operations flat against a 2008 baseline despite significant production volume growth in its business. By driving best practices through its Resource Conservation program and investments in greener fleet initiatives – such as alternative fuels and electric-vehicle delivery trucks – PepsiCo has improved the energy efficiency of legacy operations by nearly 16 percent compared with its 2006 baseline.
• In 2014, PepsiCo diverted 93 percent of its waste from reaching landfills, surpassing its goal of recycling and reusing 90 percent of its waste. The company decreased the overall amount of packaging by 89 million pounds in 2014 versus the prior year, and used 134 million pounds of food-grade recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) packages and bottles, an increase of 23 percent from 2013.
• PepsiCo deployed its Sustainable Farming Initiative (SFI) to growers across 11 countries in 2014 and increased acres covered by more than 20 percent over the prior year. SFI guides global suppliers in sustainable agricultural practices and provides them with resources, training and support to meet PepsiCo's social, economic and environmental standards.
• The company continues to work towards achieving its goals for reducing sodium, added sugars and saturated fats in its foods and beverages. Five of 10 key countries have reached the company's saturated fats reduction goal; seven of 10 key countries have reduced average added sugars per serving compared to a 2006 baseline; and all 10 key countries achieved sodium reductions in 2014. At the same time, PepsiCo is continuing to invest in expanding its nutrition business, which represented approximately 20 percent of the company's net revenue in 2014.
• In 2014, through its philanthropic arm the PepsiCo Foundation, PepsiCo met its goal to partner to provide access to safe water to 6 million people in developing countries by the end of 2015. Communities in extreme poverty in some of the world's most water-stressed areas, including regions of Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Jordan and Colombia, received access to safe water through partnerships around the world.
• PepsiCo continues its focus on creating a safe, healthy and diverse workplace around the world. Representation of females and people of color in senior executive positions increased from 2013 to 2014. Additionally, PepsiCo reduced its lost time incident rate by 23 percent compared to 2013.

In addition to the PepsiCo Sustainability Report and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Report, the company has launched a groundbreaking companion microsite, howwillwe.com, which is an interactive and immersive experience to explore and share ideas about issues relevant to the world and to PepsiCo's business. The microsite engages users through compelling storytelling, vivid design and interactive digital elements to inspire discussion around the questions of "How Will We: Grow Sustainably, Thrive in a Changing Environment and Create Opportunity?"

To learn more about Performance with Purpose and download PepsiCo's 2014 Sustainability Report and 2014 GRI Report, please visit howwillwe.com.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $66 billion in net revenue in 2014, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our vision to deliver financial performance over the long term by integrating sustainability into its business strategy, leaving a positive imprint on society and the environment. We do this in part by offering a wide range of products; increasing the number of our nutritious foods and beverages; reducing our environmental impacts; and supporting our employees and the communities where we do business; all of which will help position the company for long-term sustainable growth. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

Cautionary Statement 
Statements in this communication that are "forward-looking statements" are based on currently available information, operating plans and projections about future events and trends. Terminology such as "aim," "anticipate," "believe," "drive," "estimate," "expect," "expressed confidence," "forecast," "future," "goals," "guidance," "intend," "may," "objectives," "outlook," "plan," "position," "potential," "project," "seek," "should," "strategy," "target," "will" or similar statements or variations of such terms are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such terms. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted in such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: changes in demand for PepsiCo's products, as a result of changes in consumer preferences or otherwise; changes in the legal and regulatory environment; imposition of new taxes, disagreements with tax authorities or additional tax liabilities; PepsiCo's ability to compete effectively; PepsiCo's ability to grow its business in developing and emerging markets or unstable political conditions, civil unrest or other developments and risks in the markets where PepsiCo's products are made, manufactured, distributed or sold; unfavorable economic conditions in the countries in which PepsiCo operates; increased costs, disruption of supply or shortages of raw materials and other supplies; failure to realize anticipated benefits from PepsiCo's productivity initiatives or global operating model; disruption of PepsiCo's supply chain; product contamination or tampering or issues or concerns with respect to product quality, safety and integrity; damage to PepsiCo's reputation or brand image; failure to successfully complete or integrate acquisitions and joint ventures into PepsiCo's existing operations or to complete or manage divestitures or refranchisings; PepsiCo's ability to hire or retain key employees or a highly skilled and diverse workforce; loss of any key customer or changes to the retail landscape; any downgrade or potential downgrade of PepsiCo's credit ratings; the ability to protect information systems against or effectively respond to a cybersecurity incident or other disruption; PepsiCo's ability to implement shared services or utilize information technology systems and networks effectively; fluctuations or other changes in exchange rates, including changes in currency exchange mechanisms or additional governmental actions in Venezuela; climate change, or legal, regulatory or market measures to address climate change; failure to successfully negotiate collective bargaining agreements or strikes or work stoppages; any infringement of or challenge to PepsiCo's intellectual property rights; potential liabilities and costs from litigation or legal proceedings; and other factors that may adversely affect the price of PepsiCo's common stock and financial performance.

For additional information on these and other factors that could cause PepsiCo's actual results to materially differ from those set forth herein, please see PepsiCo's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. PepsiCo undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

¹ 2014 net revenue and operating profit compared to 2010

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140415/73233 

SOURCE PepsiCo, Inc.