Sustainability at a collegiate level? PepsiCo funds green initiatives across 27 US colleges

23 Apr 2019 --- PepsiCo Recycling’s Zero Impact Fund (ZIF) is set to finance campus sustainability initiatives at 27 US colleges and universities within the 2018-2019 school year. PepsiCo Recycling has doubled the number of grants this year compared to previous years, supporting initiatives to redistribute food waste, produce cleaner energy and improve campus recycling infrastructure. Among the most unique projects from this year’s winners are entries from Georgia College & State University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) and Ohio University. 

“At PepsiCo, we believe that building a circular economy is the key to a sustainable future,” says Tom Mooradian, Manager of Environmental Sustainability. “It’s hard to picture on a global scale, but that's what makes ZIF projects so powerful: build a green roof or a circular system for food waste on a college campus and you see its impact immediately. We’re empowering students to bring their visions to life at a local level and create a precedent for sustainable change in wider society.”

The PepsiCo Recycling initiative, launched in 2010, brings innovative recycling solutions to colleges and universities across North America to increase beverage container recycling rates. 

Currently in its third year, ZIF allows representatives or employees of eligible colleges or universities to submit proposals to create or strengthen green initiatives on campus. A judging panel votes on the most impactful projects and the winners receive up to US$10,000 towards making those ideas a reality, shortening the line between concept and action. Last year, PepsiCo announced that it would expand the program which led to the funds being double the amount for the current school year. 

According to the company, PepsiCo Recycling is committed to helping colleges and universities pursue projects that will have long-term impacts on their communities, with the ultimate goal of closing the loop between environmental sustainability and economic stability. 

Many of this year’s winning projects tackle this exact issue. The winning entry from Georgia College & State University proposed the installation of a multi-material recycling baler on campus, removing the need for any offsite facilities and potentially reducing annual recycling costs by over 43 percent.

Students at Furman University proposed a circular model to their catering service, enhancing food recovery and redistribution to tackle food insecurity and diverting waste materials to their campus farm.

Commitment to sustainability
PepsiCo has made it its goal to boost sustainability and recycling efforts among its consumers. Last summer, the PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo and US nonprofit The Recycling Partnership, launched the “All In On Recycling” scheme. This was the “largest ever” industry-wide residential recycling challenge which aimed to increase the feasibility of recycling for 25 million families across the country. The project sought to provide the families with the resources they need to recycle in higher quantity and with greater ease.

PepsiCo previously announced ambitions to achieve 50 percent recycled plastic (rPET) in its bottles by 2030 across the EU, with an interim target of 45 percent by 2025. The move will see the multinational food, snack and beverage giant more than triple the amount of recycled plastic it uses, equating to over 50,000 tons of rPET.

The announcement came in support of the European Commission’s voluntary recycled plastics pledging campaign to ensure that by 2025, ten million tons of recycled plastics will be used to make new products in the EU market.

Last October, PepsiCo and Loop Industries, a leading technology innovator in sustainable plastic, entered into a multi-year supply agreement that enabled PepsiCo to purchase production capacity from Loop’s joint venture facility in the US and incorporate Loop PET plastic, which is 100 percent recycled material, into its product packaging by early 2020.

In a further plastic packaging pledge, PepsiCo aims to have its packaging consist of 25 percent recycled plastic content by 2025 as part of its sustainable plastics vision. The goal includes an aim specific to PET beverage bottles – 33 percent recycled PET content by 2025. PepsiCo is also a signature of the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, to eradicate plastic waste at source and establish a circular economy for the material, led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.