Green Bond Update: PepsiCo Allocates $110 to Transition Company Fleet to Lower-Carbon Models

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PepsiCo today released its "2020 Green Bond Report," which provides an update on the allocation of the use of net proceeds from its first ever Green Bond, issued October 2019 for $1 billion. As disclosed at issuance, the Green Bond's net proceeds are to be allocated to investments where PepsiCo believes it can make an impact on priorities within its sustainability agenda, including packaging, decarbonization, and water, while advancing several of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. PepsiCo was one of the first corporations in the food and beverage industry to issue a Green Bond.

As of December 31, 2019, $447 million of the net proceeds from the Green Bond have been allocated, highlights from these allocations include:

• Approximately $200 million to procure recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) plastic for the Company's North American beverage packaging, avoiding approximately 210,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions;
• More than $110 million to help transition the company-owned fleet to lower-carbon models;
• $98 million to build a sustainable R&D facility in Valhalla, New York, featuring 681 solar panels, among other innovations; and
• $9 million to improve water-use efficiency in the Company's plants, including a project at a PepsiCo snack plant in Vallejo, Mexico, a high-water-risk location, which implemented new water treatment technologies resulting in 70% water reuse rates.

Green Bond issuance has become mainstream as of late. For example, in August, Visa priced its inaugural green bond offering, totaling $500 million, paying a semi-annual coupon of 0.75% and maturing August 15, 2027. The green bond, believed to be the first issued by a digital payments network, will be used to help advance the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability and a sustainable payments ecosystem.