PepsiCo has made the largest corporate purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), which it claims will offset 100% of the purchased electricity used by all PepsiCo US facilities.
The purchase, which PepsiCo said matches the purchased electricity used by all PepsiCo US-based manufacturing facilities, headquarters, distribution centers and regional offices, comes shortly after its US drinks rival The Coca-Cola Company announced plans to introduce measures to reduce energy consumption at its headquarters by 23% and reduce its water consumption by nearly 15%.
Energy is a key focus for PepsiCo within its environmental sustainability agenda, said John Compton, CEO, PepsiCo North America. The purchase of these RECs is not only in line with our progress to date, but further advances our commitment to sustainability and helps make a positive impact in the communities we serve across the country.
PepsiCo’s three-year purchase is comprised of more than 1 billion kilowatt-hours annually. Based on national average emissions rates, the US EPA estimates PepsiCo’s purchase is the same amount of electricity needed to power nearly 90,000 average American homes annually.
With this purchase PepsiCo becomes a member of the EPA’s Green Power Partnership, which is comprised of organizations that voluntarily purchase green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use.