PepsiCo Latin America announced results of its programs in water access and conservation across the region, within the framework of SIWI World Water Week 2019. The company has supported more than 1.3 million people with grants totaling $13.2 million dollars, through a public-private partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and an alliance with The Nature Conservancy (TNC).
PepsiCo has been present in Latin America for over 100 years and under its new guiding vision it aims to “Be the global leader in convenient foods and beverages by Winning with Purpose”. The company seeks to build a more sustainable food system by intensifying its efforts to improve water stewardship, including locally replenishing the water than what it uses in water-stressed areas.
As part of its commitment with the people living in the areas where it operates and to address the issues of water scarcity in Latin America, The PepsiCo Foundation made the first and only private sector investment in IDB’s AquaFund. PepsiCo Foundation grants to IDB in 2011 and 2016 totaling $7 million provided more than 772,181 people access to clean water in rural areas of Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Honduras. To further address water management across the region, PepsiCo, through its global philanthropic arm, has committed $3 million in support of the Hydro-BID Technical Support Center, aimed to benefit an additional 555,000 people in all the communities where PepsiCo Latin America operates by 2025.
In addition, PepsiCo Latin America advocates for strong local water governance in the communities and watersheds where it operates. Good water stewardship requires collaboration between the businesses, farmers, local communities and governments that together rely on the same local source, particularly in areas that experience water scarcity. To achieve this, PepsiCo Latin America partnered with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), since 2016, and invested $3.2 million dollars in the region to replenish six different watersheds for the urban areas of Mexico City, Monterrey, São Paulo, Dominican Republic, Guatemala City and Bogota. Together, PepsiCo Latin America and TNC have so far replenished more than 76 million gallons of water across more than 990 acres. This work has the potential to benefit 41 million people living and working in these crucial watersheds.
At PepsiCo Latin America we commit to acting responsibly and always working to benefit the communities where we are present. Water access and water scarcity are some of the most important challenges we can help to address” said Mónica Bauer, VP, Corporate Affairs at PepsiCo Latin America. “The support to the IDB and The Nature Conservancy, has benefited more than 1.3 million people in the region, through a $13.2 million- dollar investment leading an example of how public private partnerships can advance sustainable development.
Within Latin America, PepsiCo’s operations have done their part on water-use efficiency too. Over the past four years the company has reduced its water consumption by 14.8% in its food plants and 16% throughout its beverages operations, thanks to a strong collaboration with the region’s bottlers. This represents significant progress towards PepsiCo’s global target for a 25% improvement in water-use efficiency in manufacturing operations in high water-risk areas by 2025, which has been possible thanks to efficient practices and equipment in its production facilities and the introduction of waste water plants with advanced treatment technology that save the equivalent to the water consumption of more than 7,000 families.
