PepsiCo Opens First Overseas 'Green' Plant in China as Part of $1 Billion Investment...

* Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release.

Fri Jun 26, 2009 3:00am EDT

PepsiCo Opens First Overseas 'Green' Plant in China as Part of $1 Billion
Investment Effort

CHONGQING, China, June 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), one
of the world's largest food and beverage companies, opened its first overseas
"green" plant in China today in the western city of Chongqing as it reiterated
plans to invest $1 billion in the country.  The state-of-the-art beverage
facility is important to the company's ongoing strategy to expand in emerging
markets and broaden its portfolio of locally relevant products.

PepsiCo plans to fund a variety of major capital programs to grow its
manufacturing capacity in China, particularly in interior and western areas. 
Over the next two years, the company expects to open five new beverage
manufacturing plants -- in Kunming, Zhengzhou, Quanzhou, Lanzhou and Nanchang.
 It also plans to invest to strengthen its local research and development
capabilities and broaden its portfolio of Chinese-designed and developed
products such as Tropicana Guo Bin Fen juices, Lay's Lychee potato chips and
Cao Ben Le drinks, which are inspired by traditional Chinese medicine.   

"Despite the current uncertainty in many parts of the world, we have no doubt
that China will remain a powerful engine of global economic expansion," said
Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo chairman and chief executive officer.  "This is the
largest, most ambitious development effort we've undertaken in our more than
25 years of doing business here." 

The Chongqing plant is the first "green" beverage plant ever built in China --
and the first plant of any kind in the industrial center of Chongqing -- to
comply with the rigorous sustainable engineering standards known as Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), set by the Green Building Council. 
The plant uses over 35 water and energy saving designs and utilizes the
world's most advanced technology, including an environmental management system
that monitors water and energy use on every production line and every piece of
individual equipment in real time.   

"This plant reflects our deep and long-term commitment to China," said Nooyi. 
"It is also an important milestone in our green journey, on which we are
partnering with the Chinese government, industry and others to continue to
promote the health and longevity of our planet."

The facility is designed to use 22% less water and 23% less energy than the
average PepsiCo plant in China.  To save water, the plant utilizes a
high-pressure cleaning system, water-free conveyor belt lubricant and
water-saving fixtures.  Plant associates re-use water for landscaping and
general cleaning instead of using potable water.  To save energy, 75% of the
plant's indoor areas feature natural lighting, including a skylight in the
packing area and warehouse.  A roof garden insulates the office building and
saves energy for cooling and heating.

The new plant is expected to help PepsiCo annually reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by 3,100 tons; water usage by 100,000 tons; and overall energy use
by four million kilowatt hours compared to the former Chongqing plant.  It
also will serve as an educational center to raise awareness of good
environmental practices among students in the local community.

Today's announcement was made during a ten-day visit to China by Nooyi, who is
investing the time to learn more about the country by meeting with consumers,
employees, customers, business partners and government officials.  China is
PepsiCo's fastest-growing foods market and its largest beverage market outside
the U.S.

About PepsiCo 
PepsiCo is one of the world's largest food and beverage companies, with 2008
annual revenues of more than $43 billion. The company employs approximately
198,000 people worldwide, and its products are sold in approximately 200
countries. Its principal businesses include: Frito-Lay snacks, Pepsi-Cola
beverages, Gatorade sports drinks, Tropicana juices and Quaker foods. The
PepsiCo portfolio includes 18 brands that generate $1 billion or more each in
annual retail sales. PepsiCo's commitment to sustainable growth, defined as
Performance with Purpose, is focused on generating healthy financial returns
while giving back to communities the company serves. This includes meeting
consumer needs for a spectrum of convenient foods and beverages, reducing the
company's impact on the environment through water, energy and packaging
initiatives, and supporting its employees through a diverse and inclusive
culture that recruits and retains world-class talent. PepsiCo is listed on the
Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index and the Dow Jones Sustainability
World Index. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

Cautionary Statement
Statements in this release that are "forward-looking statements" are based on
currently available information, operating plans and projections about future
events and trends. They inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted in such
forward-looking statements. For additional information on these and other
factors that could cause PepsiCo's actual results to materially differ from
those set forth herein, please see PepsiCo's filings with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent annual report on
Form 10-K and subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. PepsiCo undertakes no
obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of
new information, future events or otherwise.    

SOURCE  PepsiCo

Dick Detwiler, +1-914-844-0855, dick.detwiler@pepsi.com, or Dave DeCecco,
+1-914-253-2655, david.dececco@pepsi.com, both of PepsiCo
Comments (0)
This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.