According to its own figures, PepsiCo reduced the use of virgin plastic in primary plastic packaging in its key packaging markets by six percent year-on-year in 2025. At the same time, the proportion of recycled material in this packaging reached 18 percent. This is according to the food and beverage corporation's ESG Summary 2025, which has just been published.
PepsiCo is placing its packaging activities under the three approaches of „Reduce, Recycle, Reinvent“. According to the company, it is working to reduce the use of virgin plastic, increase the recycled content and design packaging so that it can be returned to the material cycle. PepsiCo is aiming for an average annual reduction in primary plastic packaging in its relevant packaging markets by 2030. In 2025, the absolute amount of virgin plastic in this area fell by six per cent.
18 per cent recycled content in primary plastic packaging
The proportion of recycled material in the group's primary plastic packaging was 18 percent in the packaging markets considered in 2025. In addition, according to PepsiCo, 94 percent of primary and secondary packaging in these markets was designed to be reusable, recyclable or compostable. PepsiCo groups these characteristics under the term „Reusable, Recyclable or Compostable (RRC) Packaging by Design“.
At the same time, the group concedes that achieving its broader packaging targets will not be possible solely through changes to its own portfolio. In its ESG report, PepsiCo points in particular to gaps in the recycling infrastructure as a challenge to implementing a more circular economy for packaging.
PepsiCo relies on deposit and EPR systems
In addition to working on packaging design, PepsiCo therefore also wants to support the conditions required for closed material loops. According to the company, this includes investments in deposit-return schemes, extended producer responsibility (EPR) systems and circular economy infrastructure. The aim is to support structures that extend beyond its own supply chain.
The packaging activities are part of the pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) sustainability strategy. PepsiCo describes these as part of its business strategy to strengthen the resilience of its supply and value chains. In addition to packaging, the 2025 ESG Summary covers areas such as agriculture, climate, water and nutrition, among others.
Source: PepsiCo
