PepsiCo has confirmed details of two new projects it is funding to replenish water sources in North America.

The projects will be funded by PepsiCo’s two North American subsidiaries – PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA) and Frito-Lay North America (FLNA) – to the tune of US$3.3m. The food and beverage manufacturer said the projects would aid its ambition of becoming “net water positive” by 2030.

PBNA will invest $2.1m in the city of Winter Haven, Florida, to support wetlands restoration, as part of a project to enable the local acquirer to recharge an average of 400,000 gallons (15.1m litres) a day by 2025.

Additionally, PepsiCo will fund a $1.2m project to provide freshwater to ecosystems and wildlife in Galveston Bay, an estuary on the coast of south-east Texas. This initiative will seek to provide an additional 2,000 acre-feet per year of water for ten consecutive years.

In September 2021, PepsiCo unveiled a series of commitments to support water security in the regions in which it operates. The group defines “net water positive” as replenishing more water than it uses and achieving “best-in-class” water-use efficiency at its manufacturing facilities in high-risk watersheds.

“Best-in-class” is defined by PepsiCo as using 1.2 liters of water per litre of beverage, or 0.4 litre of water per kilogram of food.

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The group has also pledged to provide safe water access to 100 million people by 2030, via The PepsiCo Foundation.

Previous water replenishment initiatives by PepsiCo in North America have included replacing infrastructure in the Guadalupe River and San Antonio River basins, as well as a partnership with the Water Replenishment District of Southern California to help protect the state’s most used basins.

In July last year, PepsiCo issued a ten-year “green bond” valued at US$1.25bn. The bond will go towards a range of sustainability projects governed by its Pep+ climate programme.

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