TROPICANA FOOTPRINT
Call it a good environmental stewardship. Or call it good public relations.
Following the challenge PepsiCo issued itself in 2008, the company announced in January that it has certified the carbon footprint of its 64 oz. cartons of Tropicana orange juice – and plans to certify the carbon footprint of several more products – as a benchmark against which to judge carbon-reducing efforts.
As parts of its “Performance with a Purpose” initiative, PepsiCo pledged to decrease its use of water and energy by 20 percent and its fuel use by 25 percent by 2015 – and has already announced actions to move toward that goal. Among other efforts, PepsiCo said it is uses approximately 10 percent renewable energy at its Ft. Pierce, Fla. Tropicana manufacturing plant and uses fuel-efficient rail to transport a large portion of its Tropicana products across the country.
Their greening plans follow the overall trend within the beverage industry. Bottled water companies have scrambled to reduce plastic content and carbon emissions amid environmental backlash, (read more about that in 10 Things to Love About the Beverage Business) and Coca-Cola has loudly toted its recycling efforts and hybrid truck fleet.
As a side note, many of PepsiCo’s efforts save the company money. Tim Carey, PepsiCo’s director of sustainability, told public radio’s Marketplace that water-saving efforts at a Dallas Gatorade plant reduced the facility’s water bill by 12 percent. That makes the company’s environmental efforts “green” in more ways than one.