Following today’s news (14 Thursday January) that PepsiCo announced a plan to achieve net-zero emissions across its supply chain by 2040:

Ramsey Baghdadi, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

“Introducing an initiative to achieve net-zero emissions is an ambitious target for any player of this size in the FMCG industry. Meeting the goal would not only aid in the battle against climate change, but also closely align with consumer demands on a global scale. According to GlobalData’s Recovery Survey*, 44% of respondents claimed that their choices were often/always influenced by how ethical and environmentally-friendly the product was.

“Consumer demand for more sustainable products will continue to be a core strategy in the FMCG industry, especially following COVID-19. According to the same survey, over *four out of five (84%) of global respondents claimed that ethical or sustainable production methods are as important or more important than before the pandemic. It is, therefore, vital that brands follow PepsiCo’s example and commit to a zero-emission strategy to meet consumer expectations

“If PepsiCo achieves this ambitious goal, it will cause a challenge for its largest competitor, Coca-Cola, which also announced an ambitious goal to reduce emissions – but not to the same scale. As consumers pay more attention to the supply chain process, this zero-emissions strategy will prove to be a pivotal moment for PepsiCo long-term.”

* GlobalData’s Recovery Survey (published 9 December, 2020) – Global – “It is now my top priority”, “Significantly more important than before”, “Slightly more important than before”, and “As important as before”