Drinks giant PepsiCo is making efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, with plans to use 50% recycled plastic for its bottles across the EU by 2030 as part of its Performance with Purpose campaign
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PepsiCo packaging will soon be a lot greener after the drinks giant announced plans to use 50% recycled plastic in bottles sold in the EU by 2030.
This goal involves using more than 50,000 tonnes of PET – a type of recyclable plastic – more than tripling the current amount used.
It will be extended across all its major brands, including Pepsi, Pepsi Max, 7Up, Tropicana and Naked.
The move marks the company’s official support for the European Commission’s voluntary recycled plastics pledging campaign to ensure that ten million tonnes of recycled plastics are used to make new products in the EU market by 2025.
Silviu Popovici, president of PepsiCo’s Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa division, said: “At PepsiCo, we take our responsibility to protecting the environment seriously and are steadfast in our commitment to finding sustainable ways to create our products.
“We have been on a mission in the European Union to advance a culture that encourages and supports recovery and recycling of packaging.
“I am very happy to announce that we will now go much further in the use of recycled plastics in our packaging, as we work to meet and exceed this new target in the years ahead.”
New PepsiCo packaging builds on recycling vision
The announcement on a new PepsiCo packaging commitment represents its progress with regards to the company’s Performance with Purpose campaign, which involves designing 100% recyclable, compostable or biodegradable packaging material.
The campaign is ultimately intended to realise the company’s ambition of significantly reducing its carbon impact by 2025 – PepsiCo currently estimates that 90% of its worldwide packaging materials are fully recyclable.
Mr Popovici added: “Developing an effective, long-term approach to sustainable packaging requires a multifaceted effort, and PepsiCo is committed to collaborating with the many stakeholders involved to ensure it succeeds in developing a circular economy for plastics into the future.
“With serious under-capacity in the supply of affordable recycled plastics suitable for food packaging, we call on public and private stakeholders in the recycling system, including the European Commission, to join us and make the needed investments to expand recycling capacity.
“Provided the right progress is made on increasing packaging recovery rates, and improving reprocessing technology, we will look to go even further than our current commitment.”