Pepsico Case Study: Carbon & Water

PepsiCo collaborated with the University of Cambridge and the University of Aberdeen to create two key pieces of technology:

• iCrop, which allows farmers to precisely measure soil moisture levels to understand how much water was in the soil, and when rain was next due, to minimise water waste during field irrigation; and the
• Cool Farm Tool, a digital carbon calculator which allows growers to understand where their carbon consumption was high, so they can model different scenarios and strategies to limit their impact on the environment.

PepsiCo took this new techlogy to 90 of its British potato growers in water-stressed areas. PepsiCo provided ongoing support to growers, ensuring the technology was properly adopted and integrated.

PepsiCo achieved its goal of reducing the carbon and water used to grow its potatoes by 50 percent over 5 years. This meant that the 340,000 tonnes of British potatoes purchased each year to make Walkers crisps were grown using half the water and carbon, benefitting the environment for years to come.

The growers who took part in ’50 in 5’ continue to use iCrop and Cool Farm Tool to maintain their water and carbon reduction.

PepsiCo is exploring how learnings from ’50 in 5’ can be adapted and applied to other UK growers it works with. One development was Opti-Oat technology, a data-gathering drone that makes it easier for growers to maximise productivity. PepsiCo is also sharing learnings across other European markets, though its Sustainable Farming Initiative (SFI). PepsiCo’s SFI programme works with growers to encourage sustainable agricultural practices.

PepsiCo UK won the FDF Environmental Leadership award in 2017 for their 50 in 5 project.

View Ambition 2025 Progress Report 2017.