GREEN PROJECT: PepsiCo Green Team @ Plano H

Description of Individual or Organization

PepsiCo Green Team @ Plano HQ – Frito Lay is an employee interest group to inspire & enable all associates to build a planet positive PepsiCo.

PepsiCo Green teams have three objectives:

1. Education for associates to put PepsiCo sustainability priorities into action & how to lead more sustainable lives in the workplace & beyond

2. Integration of impactful sustainable practices into our business facilities, homes and community.

3. Engagement in meaningful community outreach opportunities that bring to life sustainability practices and embeds sustainability knowledge in the community

PepsiCo Green teams engage the passion of our associates to drive a culture of sustainability within PepsiCo under a unified PepsiCo Green identity that represents one company, one effort, one earth.

Leadership (Nominee demonstrates leadership through example, knowledge, attitude)

A self-forming team of associates acted like owners and built a cross functional team focused on improving environmental sustainability at the PepsiCo Plano HQ Frito-Lay campus. The team did not let functional barriers or associate levels stop them from their quest to demonstrate accountability and drive for results. The team identified multiple workstreams and tactics to reduce waste to landfill, improve recycling rates, educate associates on sustainability topics, and drive community engagement. Here are several examples:

Employee Engagement

- Rebranded the HQ team to align with global PepsiCo brand and sustainability initiatives

- Introduced PepsiCo Green brand to the campus at a sustainability education launch event

Workplace Practices 

- Converted employee cafeteria from all items that went to landfill to reusable, recyclable or compostable materials; 

- Redesigned breakroom/coffee bars to eliminate plastic and reduce waste to landfill rates while driving employee engagement

- Converted all non-recyclable single use items in break room/coffee bars to reusable items

Improved Infrastructure for Sustainability

- Identified waste collection infrastructure changes to improve performance of waste to landfill and recycling rates.

- Performed analysis on work needed to bring HQ solar panels back into operation.

- Laid out capital investment plans to move towards use of solar energy to replace purchased energy.

Improved Recycling

- Created centralized waste collection education material, providing clear examples of which item should be recycled, composted or sent to landfill.

- In pilot project, improved recycling rates in focus area by 4 times over control building.

- Initiated Green Olympics Challenge to engage entire campus in improved recycling and lower contamination rates.

Employee Education

- Created and shared “Recycling 101” and numerous Sustainability education events

- Organized Lunch & Learns on PepsiCo’s Six Sustainability Priorities (e.g., Next Generation Agriculture). 

Environmental Impact (Nominee demonstrates a positive impact on the local environment via policy change, product offering, significant volunteer contribution or other achievement)

- Redesigned cafeteria for reusable, recyclable and compostable service ware. 

- Installed Centralize Waste Collection system throughout HQ; eliminated decentralized desk waste cans and recycle bins.

- Held a friendly, but competitive Recycling Olympics to decrease recycling contamination and reduce waste to landfill rate.

Community Impact (Nominee demonstrates commitment to DFW green community through involvement with causes, business ventures or organizations)

- Organized, staffed and executed a community stream/park cleanup event with the City of Plano.

- Maintained a quarterly Adopt-A-Highway clean up team for Ohio Dr between Hedgcoxe and Hwy 121.

- Established an on-site Employee Garden to provide space for associates that couldn’t grow vegetables at home to provide fresh food to their families and learn from other associates.

- During COVID-19 Work from Home restrictions, converted twice per year traditional on-site Farmer’s Market to a Virtual Farmer’s Market to continue out support of struggling small sustainable businesses.

- Engaged/hosted/presented at City of Plano’s Corporate Sustainability Forum (CSF) to share lessons learned with corporate HQ neighbors (i.e. Toyota, Capital One, Liberty Mutual).

Other reasons for your nomination:

- Under new Corporate and local leadership, The PepsiCo Green @ Plano HQ leadership team ignited a great cultural change in the workplace by gaining top leadership alignment, financial commitment and employee engagement which re-energized the focus on sustainability in the workplace, at home and in our community.

- Even during COVID-19 Work from Home restrictions, the team drove for results via the publication of a monthly, electronic Green at Home Newsletter and green themed Lunch and Learn sessions presented to between 100 and 150 associates via Zoom Conference calls. 

- PepsiCo Green Team @ Plano HQ Frito-Lay has become the model for other PepsiCo Green Teams and has created a standard playbook to replicate its success across the globe.