Macleans: Canada’s top 50 socially responsible corporations: 2015. How these companies are getting ahead by putting communities, the environment and their employees at the top of their agendas
News Source: Macleans
By Julie Smyth
Category: Food and beverage – Soft drinks, packaged foods, restaurants
Company: PepsiCo
The multinational food and beverage company has made tackling global water scarcity a focus of its business. PepsiCo has a range of programs to manage its water intake throughout its supply chain. The company’s Colombian manufacturing plants, for example, recycle 75 per cent of the water used, and its Gatorade bottles are purified with air instead of water. Globally, PepsiCo has increased its water efficiency by roughly 20 per cent from a 2006 baseline and has cut an estimated 14 billion litres of water from its operations.
The company is also forging partnerships with NGOs to deliver clean water to communities in need. In 2007, it set a goal of providing three million people around the world with safe water by 2015. It met its target three years ahead of schedule. The company has teamed up with six organizations to help deal with the global water crisis: the Columbia Water Center at the Columbia University Earth Institute, the Inter-American Development Bank, Water.org, Safe Water Network, China Women’s Development Foundation and 2030 Water Resources Group.
PepsiCo also has a sustainable farming initiative that measures the environmental and local economic impact across its agricultural supply chain.
In Canada, the company has focused its environmental sustainability efforts on water, energy and packaging. It reduced water usage by 40 per cent at manufacturing plants. It was also the first manufacturer in Canada to introduce all-electric, zero-emissions, green-powered delivery trucks.
Richard Glover, president at PepsiCo Beverages Canada, describes the company as “committed to achieving business and financial success while leaving a positive imprint on society—delivering what we call ‘performance with purpose.’ It’s at the heart of every aspect of our business.”
The other top companies in this category are: Kellogg Co., Starbucks, Danone, Molson Coors Brewing Co.
Source: www.macleans.ca