PepsiCo has announced a global packaging goal intended to double the percentage of all beverage servings it sells delivered through reusable models from 10% to 20% by 2030.
The corporation says the ambition is part of PepsiCo Positive (pep+), which is the company’s end-to-end business strategy that “puts sustainability and people” at the centre of how it will stimulate growth and value.
In 2018, PepsiCo invested over $3.2B to acquire the reuse platform SodaStream and expressed its commitment to a circular economy for plastics by joining the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.
The company says that reuse is a “critical lever” to meet PepsiCo’s goals to reduce virgin plastic per serving by 50% by 2030 and to become Net Zero by 2040. It continues that progress toward these goals will also be driven by increasing recycled content in our packaging across Europe and globally.
Aligned with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s “Reuse – Rethinking Packaging” framework, PepsiCo says it will pursue four approaches to achieve its new packaging goal, including expanding its SodaStream business, both at home and in workplaces through SodaStream Professional;
building out its refillable plastic (PET) and glass bottle offerings in partnership with PepsiCo bottlers; growing its fountain drinks business with reusable cups; and accelerating growth in powders and concentrates.
Europe is leading the way in accelerating investment in disruptive technology and innovation to work towards our new packaging goals.
PepsiCo says it will continue working with multiple partners to develop new infrastructure to support reuse and refill models.
Through the Closed Loop Partners NextGen Consortium, PepsiCo says it is working collaboratively with stakeholders across the value chain to design and test new models to enable the scale-up of reusable cups.
Commentating on the announcement, Katharina Stenholm, Chief Sustainability Officer at PepsiCo Europe, said: “Fundamentally transforming the traditional beverage consumption model will require making reusable and refillable options accessible and convenient, at scale, for European consumers – and that’s what we aim to do.”
“This is complementing our continuous efforts on scaling recycling. Europe is leading the way in accelerating investment in disruptive technology and innovation to work towards our new packaging goals. Through collaboration with our partners and European institutions, we are committed to creating a viable circular economy for beverage packaging in Europe.”
