2Sustain

PepsiCo has released its 2009 Corporate Citizenship Report, and it contains dozens of ambitious global goals –47, in all –that will guide the company over the coming decade. These global goals focus on nutrition, environmental sustainability, and workplace practices and include specific, industry-leading commitments, such as reducing sugar, sodium and fat across the company’s food and beverage portfolio while increasing whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

In addition, the report, “Performance with Purpose: Investing in Sustainable Growth,” details PepsiCo’s environmental performance in 2009. For example, last year PepsiCo:

• Conserved more than 12 billion liters of water through efficiency improvements within PepsiCo operations as compared to the 2006 baseline.

• Achieved a 16 percent reduction in per-unit use of energy in beverage plants and a seven percent reduction in snack plants in 2009 compared to a 2006 baseline.

• Introduced the first fully compostable SunChips bag, which is made with renewable plant-based materials.

• Replenished nearly six billion liters of water across India, which exceeds the total intake of approximately five billion liters of water by PepsiCo’s India manufacturing facilities.

• Committed more than $13 million since 2007 to provide safe access to water in China, India, Brazil and Africa through the PepsiCo Foundation.

“As the world’s second-largest food and beverage business, we have a responsibility to help devise solutions to key global challenges where we can have the most impact,” says Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo chairman and CEO. “Our strategy for long-term growth is an integral part of our ‘Performance with Purpose’ mission. In fact, we design our business plans to ensure that the work we do and the investments we make leave a positive impact on society.”

Over the past few years, PepsiCo has certainly emerged as a global sustainability leader. (See several previous posts here.) The company’s commitment to water stewardship is particularly impressive. Not only is PepsiCo improving water efficiencies within its own operations, but the company is committed to working with communities and other organizations to increase access to clean water around the world.