New PepsiCo UK President delivers first speech on sustainability challenges
In his first public speech since becoming President of PepsiCo UK & Ireland last month, Richard Evans told business leaders and academics at last week's Windsor Debate: "I am proud that we have invested real time and effort, during the current economic crisis, on long-term solutions to environmental sustainability dilemmas.
22 September 2009
"We're investigating the potential for on-site renewables at our sites, identifying how we could capture the water embedded in our potatoes, and using our positive influence with our farmers to reduce their carbon footprint and use of agrochemicals."
But he also acknowledged that risks associated with climate change such as unpredictable and extreme weather events, the future availability of fresh water and the limits of non-renewable resources such as coal, oil and gas pose a threat to the future of his business.
Calling on the Government to support and provide real incentives towards decarbonising the economy, he said: "Like any business, we know transformational change is required to truly become sustainable. And we can't achieve it alone.
To achieve radical carbon reduction, business will need Government to provide the right framework - real incentives, and a level playing field. In some respects the UK is leading the world - setting a national carbon budget, and aiming for stretching carbon targets to 2020, and out to 2050".
The speech by Richard Evans preceded the publication today of PepsiCo UK's one-year progress update on our public environmental commitments. Key milestones detailed in the report include reduction of energy by 11.8% in one year, and doubling our electricity sourced from renewables from 8% to 16%.
The update also shows that PepsiCo UK held its absolute carbon emissions flat despite a business growth of almost 10%, reduced its waste sent to landfill by 39%, Walkers packaging weight by a further 2% and manufacturing sites water use by 2.1% per kg of product.
The update follows the publication last year of PepsiCo UKs first ever Environmental Sustainability Report which set out a range of ambitious pledges, promising both short-term action and long-term transformation inside the PepsiCo business and as an agent for change across our supply chain.
Richard Evans concluded his speech at Windsor by saying: "As I look to invest in environmental technology, the right incentives are still not there. There is no effective price on carbon, no penalty for the laggards, little reward or predictability for those who invest in solutions. Politicians seem to fear a business backlash against action. Yet many businesses, including my own, want to take radical steps".
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