PepsiCo opens 'green' drink plant in China
* PepsiCo opens LEED-certified plant in Chongqing
* Expects to open five more plants in next two years
NEW YORK, June 26 (Reuters) - PepsiCo Inc (PEP.N) said on Friday that it opened a new "green" drink plant in China and plans to build five more plants in China over the next two years as part of a $1 billion investment in the world's most populous country.
The plant is in the western city of Chongqing and meets the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, which require the use of energy and water-saving systems.
Over the next two years, the world's second-biggest soft drink maker after Coca-Cola Co (KO.N) said it expects to open new drink manufacturing plants in Kunming, Zhengzhou, Quanzhou, Lanzhou and Nanchang.
The news comes just days after Coke said it opened two new bottling plants in China. [ID:N24173713]
Emerging markets like China and India are critical to Pepsi and Coke as recession and changing consumer habits limit sales growth in the United States.
PepsiCo said in November that it would invest $1 billion in China over the next four years. The company already has 26 plants in China, which make Lay's lychee potato chips and beverages such as Tropicana Guo Bin Fen juices 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 PepsiCo Chief Executive Indra Nooyi in a statement. (Reporting by Martinne Geller; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
