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PepsiCo sets recycled-content goals

PepsiCo Inc. wants to use 25 percent recycled content in its plastic packaging by the middle of the next decade.

The Purchase, N.Y.-based company announced the goal Oct. 26.

"PepsiCo's sustainable plastics vision is to build a PepsiCo where plastics need never become waste. We intend to achieve that vision by reducing, recycling and reusing, and reinventing our plastic packaging — and leading global change through partnerships," said Mehmood Khan, vice chairman and chief scientific officer, in a statement.

"Already, PepsiCo is one of the world's largest users of food-grade recycled PET. To further boost recycled content across all plastic packaging and drive progress towards a circular economy for plastics, it is vital to dramatically increase global waste collection and recycling rates through investment in recycling infrastructure and technology," Khan said.

PepsiCo will use collaboration with suppliers and partners, consumer education, industry and public-private partnerships and advocacy for improved recycling infrastructure and regulatory reform to help achieve the goal, the company said.

While the 25 percent goal is across all plastics packaging, the company said it aims to use 33 percent recycled content in its PET bottles by 2025. PepsiCo recently struck an agreement with Loop Industries Inc. to use recycled PET in its products by the middle of 2020.

While the company is well known for its soft drinks, PepsiCo has a number of other brands that use plastics packaging. They include Frito-Lay, Gatorade and Tropicana.

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Publication date: 26/10/2018

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Last update: 2022-01-31