A Sustainability report of PEPSICO Company
One of the companies with a sustainability report is PEPSICO. It is a parent holding company with several subsidiaries in and outside of the United States. Its head office is in Purchase New York. It mainly deals with beverages, snacks, and other types of food. It is also listed among the leading agencies in Africa that are helping to develop a sustainable environment. The ability to be independent and diverse in its operations has helped the company to maintain a good track record of being self-sustainable in an extremely competitive market. Some of its products are sustainable in the long run. Some of the resources or materials used in the production process are recyclable for example the returnable glass bottles for the Pepsi Cola Drink brand. The concept of ‘cradle to cradleâ, helps the company to save on capital and cut the financial expenditure required in future production (Braungart and McDonough, p. 117).
In terms of ecological sustainability, the company has embarked on producing its own inputs in several farms around the world that are âgreenâ. The factories that the company runs meet the recommended carbon emission standards thereby helping to contain global warming. From a business perspective, a good competitive edge is kept by providing a balanced diet in its locally manufactured products because of the extraction of ingredients from freshly harvested and chosen fruits supplied by the farmers. With the decision to reduce the amount of added sugar in the beverage brands, the number of fats and oils and increasing the level of whole grains in the main meal categories, fruits and vegetables, incidences of diseases tied to the types of food eaten by an individual like diabetes and cancers are greatly lowered hence improving human health.
This way the company helps to create a healthy nation and at the same time improve sustainability in terms of the productivity among its employees by them being able to work in an eco-friendly environment. Environmentally speaking, the company is sustainable for instance in the utilization of land that it owns, energy and water used in the production processes as well as using recyclable materials for packing the products. These are natural resources with the capability to be used in the long run because at all times they are available and sustainable. The company acquires innovative ideas and information from external stakeholders to generate appropriate decisions in its business (Sand, p. 126).
How PEPSICO might implement a cradle to cradle concept in its products
Cradle to cradle concept entails the human resource generating new technologies and methods in the processes of production. Natural resources are being depleted much faster while the rate of creating new products is increasing. There is so much waste produced daily around the globe which must be utilized because it is putting human life at risk. Furthermore, some of these wastes are recyclable and with this comes an opportunity for the recycling firms to make profits as well as creating employment for some people. Human creativity is also essential in designing products in a way that they can be recycled for future use (El- Haggar, p. 145).
PEPSICO can use cradle to cradle concept in its activities. For instance, the water used in the production processes can be recycled and used to irrigate the farms or for cleaning the factory floors. The fact that they also use most of green inputs like fresh fruits paves way for reusing the wastes as compost manure in the farms. This is far very sustainable about cradle to cradle without the associated costs to purchase artificial fertilizers which, on their own, have been blamed for diseases like diabetes. It can also buy a lot of recycled paper to manufacture the packaging materials like the disposable tetra packs for its beverages and the publication of brochures to be used in advertisements. This will help the company save on production costs. The company can also make use of solar energy in its factories’ lighting systems (Blair and Hitchcock, p. 63).
Works cited
- Blair, Alasdair McMillan and Hitchcock, David. Environment and business. London: Routledge, 2001
- Braungart, Michael and McDonough William. Cradle to Cradle. New York: Vintage Books, 2009
- El- Haggar, Salah. Sustainable industrial design and waste management: cradle-to-cradle for sustainable development. New York: Academic Press, 2007
- Sand, Claire. The Packaging Value Chain. New Jersey: DEStech Publications, Inc, 2009