PepsiCo South Africa says that it recognises the critical role water plays in the food system and its broader impact on the environment and communities. 

The food and beverage leader adds that it continues to make significant strides in its water stewardship efforts.

"Our water stewardship journey is rooted in the belief that water is not just a vital component of our business but a lifeline for communities," says Steven Wolfaardt, PepsiCo South Africa's sustainability lead.

"We are collaborating with local partners and non-governmental organisations to launch community-driven projects that enhance water access, quality and sustainability," adds Wolfaardt.

PepsiCo South Africa adds that within its own operations, it is pioneering water-efficient practices and adopting state-of-the-art technologies. These endeavours have led to significant reductions in water consumption across its manufacturing facilities and supply chain while upholding the highest standards of product quality and safety.

The food and beverage leader says that it understands that tackling water challenges requires collective action. The company actively engages with local stakeholders, government agencies and industry peers to promote sustainable water management practices.

Through dialogue, partnerships and knowledge sharing, PepsiCo aims to contribute to a water-secure future for South Africa.

Partnering with The Nature Conservancy

PepsiCo says that it supports landscape treatments through invasive species removal by partnering with The Nature Conservancy. This is in support of the Greater Cape Town Water Fund.

Not only is this project restoring ecosystem functions and replenishing water to Cape Town's key source catchments, but it is also conserving and restoring biodiversity in a critical and unique landscape, says PepsiCo South Africa.

"Since 2018, through this partnership, we have replenished 1.77 billion litres of water and contributed to creating 570 jobs, focusing on the removal of water-hungry alien invasive plants, primarily for women and young adults. This includes 94 specially trained high-angle technicians working in remote, mountainous terrain," says PepsiCo South Africa.

Partnering with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in the Drakensburg

PepsiCo adds that it has also partnered with WWF to manage water resources in the Southern and Northern Drakensburg and Kouga-Sondags-Langkloof areas.

Activity under this partnership includes landscape management interventions such as an alien vegetation clearing project that has replenished 567 million litres of water across three project areas in the Drakensberg.

It has also created economic opportunities and improved local livelihoods by providing an average 18 200 days of employment through the project in the Northern Drakensberg.

Empowering communities through water initiatives

PepsiCo South Africa says it has invested significantly to support access to safe water, sanitation and handwashing facilities for poor communities across provinces in South Africa. This is through strategic partnerships with:
  • the National Business Initiative
  • the Water Research Institute, and
  • Save Our Schools.

"These initiatives encompass the construction of resilient water infrastructure, educational programmes on responsible water usage and the promotion of water conservation practices among local residents," says Wolfaardt.

The company also partnered with key stakeholders to repair leaks in schools and reduce losses in bulk municipal systems across South Africa. The aim of this project is to achieve water savings equal to, or higher than the annual water usage of the PepsiCo facilities within the respective municipalities.

According to the food and beverage leader, this project will help to offset the water use at its operations in:
  • Mangaung
  • Mogalakwena
  • Polokwane
  • Madibeng, and
  • Dawid Kruiper municipalities.

The total savings achieved was over 50 million litres per month, which equates to about 65% of PepsiCo's attributable operational water consumption in South Africa being replenished into these high-risk watersheds.

Adoption of Alliance for Water Stewardship Standard

As a member of the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS), PepsiCo South Africa views water stewardship as a collective effort requiring increased collaboration, advocacy, idea-sharing and investment to address water insecurity.

Its commitment to water stewardship extends beyond water conservation, benefiting water quality, biodiversity, carbon sequestration and local communities.

"We aim to fully adopt the AWS Standard at 34 of our high-water risk facilities by 2025, using it as a vehicle for advocacy, participation in good catchment governance, and to help ensure that freshwater resources in high-water-risk locations are available for all water stakeholders," Wolfaardt adds.

The following sites will have fully adopted the standard in 2023:
  • Parow Plant
  • Epping Rice
  • Epping Bakery
  • Claremont Bakery
  • Worcester Fruit Tree
  • Worcester Bakery
  • Cereals Atlantis
  • Oats Epping
  • Sugarbird
  • Weet-Bix
  • Malmesbury Pasta
  • Malmesbury Mill
  • Ceres Fruit Juices, and
  • Upington Dried Fruit.

"At PepsiCo, we remain committed to ensuring long-term, sustainable water security, an essential element in building a sustainable food system for our business and the broader community," concludes Wolfaardt.

For more information, visit www.sa.pepsico.africa. You can also follow PepsiCo South Africa on X.