Using 100% recyclable packaging materials and a US$35 million investment recovery system, PepsiCo takes many steps to reduce carbon emissions

PepsiCo Europe has announced that it plans to phase out petroleum-based virgin plastics in all of its cracker and crisp bags by 2030
.
The plan will involve brands including Walkers, Doritos and Lay's, and will use 100% recycled or renewable plastics to replace petroleum-based virgin plastics
.

Reducing petroleum-based virgin plastics can reduce carbon emissions by 40%

According to reports, the packaging will be piloted in the European market in 2022.
In the first half of 2022, the French Lay's series will use renewable plastic packaging, and the British Walkers brand will use recycled materials for its products in the second half of the year
.

PepsiCo said that the recyclable components in the packaging are mainly from waste plastics, and the renewable components come from peripheral products of plants such as used cooking oil or pulp waste
.
The company estimates that by reducing the use of petroleum-based virgin plastics, it can reduce carbon emissions by up to 40 percent per ton of packaging material
.

Silviu Popovici, CEO of PepsiCo Europe, commented: "Flexible packaging recycling should become the norm in Europe
.
In the future, our products will be packaged without petroleum-based virgin plastics in support of a circular economy
.
"

In fact, the use of recyclable materials or renewable plastics for packaging is one of many steps PepsiCo is taking to achieve its Vision 2030 goals
.
PepsiCo is also reducing its carbon footprint by introducing recyclable paper bottles Pulpex bottles, fully compostable materials made from plant-based materials, rPET materials and promoting the SodaStream soda maker
.

Reduce carbon emissions by 60% in industrial compostable packaging

Such as PepsiCo's corn chips, potato chips snack food Frito-Lay (Frito-Lay), using industrially compostable packaging, has been sold in some selected retail stores in the United States
.
According to reports, the use of these packaging materials can reduce carbon emissions by 60% compared with traditional packaging, and reduce the amount of post-consumer plastic waste
.

Invest in a modular community recycling system to facilitate rPET recycling

PepsiCo also plans to use 100% rPET bottles for key Pepsi-branded products sold in 11 European countries in 2022, and to use 100% rPET bottles for all Pepsi-branded products sold in the U.
S.
market by 2030
.
PepsiCo expects the rPET bottle will reduce carbon emissions by 30%
.

PepsiCo also recently co-invested $35 million with Closed Loop Partner to create a "Closed Loop Local Recycling Fund" to advance new modular recycling systems in communities across the U.
S.
Sustainable Packaging Vision"
.

New modular recycling system
.
(Image source Closed Loop Partner)

Closed Loop Partners will use the investment to deploy small modular material recovery facilities in communities that currently do not have access to large municipal material recovery facilities
.
These modular recycling systems are smaller and less capital-intensive than traditional large-scale recycling facilities, reducing the need for expensive logistics to transport recycled materials to large recycling facilities outside the region
.
Small recycling systems will help recover valuable recyclable materials such as paper, plastic, glass and metal, reducing waste sent to landfill and freeing up new supplies of recycled materials
.

It is understood that each individual recycling system can recover at least 8,000 tons of material per year, including providing 400 tons of rPET for recycling
.