One year after PepsiCo and the Carbon Trust launched an innovative partnership that began with certifying the carbon footprint of Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice, Tropicana is announcing a pilot program that could drastically reduce its lifecycle carbon footprint and have a dramatic impact on the broader agricultural landscape for orange growers and producers of other agricultural products.
When Tropicana measured the carbon footprint of its Pure Premium product's lifecycle, it discovered that the largest single source of carbon emissions – approximately 35 percent – was fertilizer use and application for the growing process.
To tackle the issue, PepsiCo and its Florida suppliers are testing multiple approaches using reduced-carbon fertilizers. Specifically, Tropicana, in tandem with one of its long-time growers, SMR Farms in Bradenton, Fla., is launching a pilot study to test two alternative fertilizers to determine whether using either could significantly reduce the carbon footprint associated with the agricultural production of oranges. If successful, this change could reduce the total carbon footprint of Tropicana Pure Premium by as much as 15 percent.
"This pilot program is an example of how PepsiCo is working hand-in-hand with our suppliers to find innovative ways to make our agricultural practices more environmentally sustainable," Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, said in a news release. "As a company that relies on the Earth's natural resources to make our products, we are keenly focused on reducing our carbon footprint wherever we can. If this test (proves) successful, it could positively impact growing practices far beyond our business alone."
The new study will last up to five years to match the maturity cycle of orange trees. One outcome of the pilot could be blending the best components of each low-carbon fertilizer to create a superior hybrid solution with an even lower carbon footprint. PepsiCo will monitor early indicators of success with researchers from the University of Florida so it can expand the effort's successes to other growers and reduce the carbon in their systems too.
The pilot program is part of PepsiCo's broader commitment to sustainable agriculture. The company's formal Sustainable Agriculture Policy guides growing practices across the business and its supply chain globally. PepsiCo also is participating in a comprehensive global climate project managed by The Sustainable Food Lab, in conjunction with Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, to evaluate the greenhouse gas footprint of specific farming systems and identify and implement the greenhouse gas reduction potential from practice alternatives. PepsiCo and other participating organizations will support the research by evaluating at least one farming system.
The goal of the project, which will take place over the next 12-18 months, is to empower food companies to engage the agricultural sector, a key component of their supply chain, in the evaluation and effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions and to provide an assessment of barriers that farmers face, and the solutions needed to efficiently address climate impacts from agriculture. The effort also follows on PepsiCo's supplier outreach program that encouraged over 90 PepsiCo suppliers to join ENERGY STAR and focus on improving energy efficiency.
