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. (more…)

As consumer awareness about climate change grows, a few companies are emerging as leaders in the area of carbon footprint labeling. For instance, last month the supermarket giant Tesco became the first UK retailer to display the full carbon footprint of milk.

But, it’s a fledgling movement. It was only two years ago that Walkers Crisps, part of PepsiCo, became the first consumer brand in the world to launch the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Reduction Label.

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RFID tag

The Reusable Packaging Association (RPA) recently completed the largest and most widely-supported industry field test of RFID technology on reusable containers. After more than 160 hours of testing and more that 14,000 tests, RPA concluded that RFID tags designed for single use can be used for multiple trips without any deterioration in performance, provided the tags are positioned correctly on reusable containers.

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PepsiCo opened its first overseas “green” plant in China last week. The state-of-the-art beverage facility, located in the western city of Chongqing, is part of Pepsico’s $1 billion investment effort to grow its manufacturing capacity in the country, particularly in interior and western areas.

According to a press release, the Chongqing plant is the first green beverage facility ever built in China — and the first plant of any kind in the industrial center of Chongqing to be  built in compliance with LEED engineering standards. In addition, this new eco-friendly plant

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This past Sunday, March 22, marked the 17th anniversary of World Water Day, an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The theme for this year’s event was “Transboundary waters: sharing water, sharing opportunities,” and over the past few weeks, it has been great to see global corporations stepping forward to recognize World Water Day, as they reaffirm their commitment to responsible water stewardship.

Case in point: PepsiCo. On Friday, PepsiCo positioned itself as an international water stewardship leader by announcing an ambitious agenda of global initiatives. Essentially, the company is pursuing a two-pronged approach. First, PepsiCo is improving water efficiencies within its own operations. Second, the company is committed to working with communities and other organizations to increase access to clean water around the world.

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