PepsiCo has announced its goal to become “Net Water Positive" by 2030, aiming to replenish more water than the company uses, which would place it among the most water-efficient food or beverage manufacturers operating in high-risk watersheds. The new goal will guide tangible operational action to reduce absolute water use and replenish into the local watershed more than 100% of the water used at company-owned and third-party sites in high-water-risk areas.
Reduction efficiencies are to be met through the adoption of operational best-in-class or world-class water-use-efficiency standards covering more than 1,000 company-owned and third-party facilities, with nearly half located in high-risk watersheds. Raising the efficiency standard at company-owned sites in high-risk watersheds alone will allow PepsiCo to avoid using more than 11 billion liters of water a year, a 50% reduction in the amount of water the company uses at these sites. PepsiCo also aims to adopt the Alliance for Water Stewardship Standard in all high-water risk areas where it operates by 2025.
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Additionally, PepsiCo’s holistic Net Water Positive vision looks to deliver safe water access to 100 million people by 2030. The PepsiCo Foundation is also launching a new $1 million program with leading NGO and long-term partner WaterAid to bring safe water to families in Sub-Saharan Africa—expanding its 15-year, more than $53 million safe water access initiative that reaches over 20 countries and has helped more than 59 million people since 2006.
“Time is running out for the world to act on water. Water is not only a critical component of our food system, it is a fundamental human right—and the lack of safe, clean water around the world is one of the most pressing issues facing our global community today,” says Jim Andrew, chief sustainability officer at PepsiCo. “Water scarcity is directly linked to the climate crisis, and at PepsiCo, we believe a global effort to be ‘net water positive’ is essential. We’re focused not only on making sure people around the world have access to this vital resource, but ensuring that we are also prioritizing water stewardship in our operations everywhere.”
