PURCHASE, N.Y. – PepsiCo, Inc. on Sept. 19 gave a timeline for its goal to buy equipment, including coolers, vending machines and fountain dispensers, that are free of chemical coolants that may contribute to climate change. The coolants, hydroflourocarbons (HFCs), are considered greenhouse gasses, according to Purchase-based PepsiCo.
By 2020, all of PepsiCo’s future point-of-sale equipment purchased in the United States will be free of HFCs, the company said. PepsiCo will begin purchasing new equipment free of HFCs in 2015.
Outside of the United States, PepsiCo began purchasing equipment free of HFCs in 2009 and uses insulation/foam free of HFCs for all new equipment. Improving the energy efficiency in coolers and vending machines also has minimized the impact of existing equipment. Through the combined efforts, PepsiCo has reduced total greenhouse gas emissions by 18% since 2007, the company said.
In other company news related to climate change, PepsiCo signed a climate declaration of a Ceres coalition, Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy. PepsiCo also signed the Prince of Wales’ Corporate Leaders Group “Trillion Tonne Communique.” Ceres is a non-profit organization advocating for sustainability leadership. Prince of Wales is the patron of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership in Cambridge, United Kingdom. PepsiCo said its global energy efficiency in 2013 improved 14% when compared to the 2006 baseline.
