2Sustain

PepsiCo wants to reduce the carbon footprint of Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice.

A year ago, the company partnered with the Carbon Trust to conduct a lifecycle analysis of its orange juice and discovered that the largest single source of carbon emissions  –approximately 35 percent — was fertilizer use and application for the growing process.

So now, Tropicana, in tandem with one of its long-time growers, SMR Farms in Bradenton, Fla., is launching a groundbreaking pilot program to determine whether using innovative, alternative fertilizers could significantly reduce the carbon footprint associated with the agricultural production of oranges. If successful, this change could reduce the total carbon footprint of Tropicana Pure Premium by as much as 15 percent.

Two lower-carbon fertilizers will be tested.

One, produced by Yara International , the world’s largest fertilizer producer, is manufactured with proprietary technology that reduces nitrous oxide emissions by up to 90 percent. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, nitrous oxide has approximately 300 times the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide.

The other, produced by ERTH Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Toronto-based Outlook Resources, achieves a lower-carbon footprint by using locally-sourced, carbon-neutral raw materials such as food waste and agriculture waste rather than natural gas, avoiding unnecessary carbon emissions from both natural gas and fertilizer transportation.

The new study will last up to five years to match the maturity cycle of orange trees. PepsiCo says one outcome of the pilot could be blending the best components of each low-carbon fertilizer to create a superior hybrid solution with an even lower carbon footprint. The company will monitor early indicators of success with researchers from the University of Florida so it can expand the effort’s successes to other growers and reduce the carbon in their systems, too.

“This pilot program is an example of how PepsiCo is working hand-in-hand with our suppliers to find innovative ways to make our agricultural practices more environmentally sustainable,” says Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo. “As a company that relies on the Earth’s natural resources to make our products, we are keenly focused on reducing our carbon footprint wherever we can. If this test is successful, it could positively impact growing practices far beyond our business alone.”

The pilot program is part of PepsiCo’s broader commitment to sustainability. In fact, today, during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will award PepsiCo a 2010 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award, for its continued, long-term commitment to energy efficiency.

To learn even more about PepsiCo’s program to reduce the carbon footprint of Tropicana, watch this video: