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PepsiCo's robust recycling initiative

Tom Mooradian, manager of environmental sustainability at PepsiCo, describes the PepsiCo Recycling initiative and the progress it has made toward increasing recycling rates.

Tom Mooradian, manager of environmental sustainability at PepsiCo
Tom Mooradian, manager of environmental sustainability at PepsiCo

Packaging World: What is your role at PepsiCo?

Tom Mooradian: I occupy a multidisciplinary role that allows me to tap into my creative side and my technical side. I spend the majority of my time working on PepsiCo Recycling programs, which engage directly with our consumers to educate and inspire them to recycle. I also spend a portion of my time identifying and managing capital projects within our manufacturing network to help conserve resources such as electricity. I love the role as it not only enables me to leverage my background as a packaging engineer and capital project manager, but also allows me to work on exciting new things, like trying to figure out the best ways to motivate our broad consumer base to recycle.

How important to PepsiCo’s sustainability agenda are the use of recyclable materials for its packaging?

PepsiCo is focused on delivering sustainable, long-term growth while leaving a positive imprint on society and the environment, part of what we call “Performance with Purpose.” This agenda comprises three focus areas: Planet, Products, and People. The Planet plank is PepsiCo’s commitment to reduce its environmental impact while growing its business and helping to meet the food, beverage, and natural resource needs of the changing world. By 2025, PepsiCo aims to design 100% of our packaging to be recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable, increase recycled materials in our plastic packaging, reduce packaging’s carbon impact, and, in partnership with the PepsiCo Foundation, work to increase recycling rates.

How important to the agenda is educating consumers around recycling?

Educating and engaging consumers about recycling is critical, and that is exactly what PepsiCo Recycling was designed to do. We introduced the PepsiCo Recycling initiative in 2010 and have continued to scale it up ever since. PepsiCo Recycling programs bring recycling solutions to colleges and universities, K-12 schools, high-traffic retail locations, professional sports facilities, events, and other organizations across the U.S. with the goal of increasing beverage container recycling rates. We educate and inspire consumers through the belief that simple acts lead to a big impact. We know that every bottle and can recycled helps make communities and the world a cleaner, more sustainable place.

Liquid Foods Innovations Report
Welcome to the inaugural Packaging World/ProFood World Innovations Report on liquid food packaging, drawn from nearly 300 PACK EXPO International booth visits (Chicago, Nov. 3–6, 2024). Our editors highlight the most groundbreaking equipment and materials—supported by video demos—that promise to transform how liquid foods are processed, packaged, and delivered.
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Liquid Foods Innovations Report
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Break out of the ordinary: see what’s new in food packaging & processing