PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America division celebrated on October 5 the success of its most ambitious environmental sustainability project to-date by announcing that its Casa Grande, Arizona, facility has reached ‘near net zero.’  The ‘near net zero’ vision was to transform an existing facility so that it would be as far ‘off the grid’ as possible and run primarily on renewable energy sources and recycled water, while producing nearly zero landfill waste.«As a company that relies on key natural resources like water and fuel, Frito-Lay has developed strategies to ensure our business remains sustainable, even if there are constraints on those resources,» explains Al Carey, past CEO and president, Frito-Lay North America. “Frito-Lay and its parent, PepsiCo, are committed to finding innovative solutions that are right for the business and right for the environment. The ‘near net zero’ project is an industry-leading example of how the two successfully intersect.”

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Frito-Lay invested in and implemented a combination of technologies to enable the Casa Grande plant to significantly reduce the use of key natural resources and reduce the site’s overall environmental footprint. Using innovative technologies, the Casa Grande facility is generating 2/3 of all energy used from renewable sources and is working toward significant reductions:

—   50% reduction of greenhouse gas

—   75% of water is recycled

—   80% reduction of natural gas usage

“Frito-Lay set out to create an environmental learning lab in our Casa Grande plant that would try to make the plant ‘near net zero,’” said Al Halvorsen, senior director of environmental sustainability, Frito-Lay North America. “Our approach to significantly reduce the use of natural resources and the environmental impact of a manufacturing site has been cutting edge and today marks a major milestone for Frito-Lay and PepsiCo.” Read more about the site in the press release.