In a recent press announcement titled, PepsiCo Uses Innovative Plastic Alternative That Prevents GHG Emissions Into the Atmosphere, the company says that it is using UBQ™ material, developed by the Israeli startup of the same name, to develop a sustainable pallet that uses a small proportion of unsorted household waste, including organics, in its composition. During the manufacturing process of UBQ™ material, waste is diverted and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are prevented.
More than 739 kg of mixed waste will be redirected from landfills, looped back into the material as a valuable resource. The pallets are developed by PepsiCo’s partner Ecoboxes Embalagens Plásticas, which specializes in solutions focused on sustainability and circular economy. According to the announcement from Pepsico, the initial project includes 830 pallets – which works out to approximately 0.89 kg per pallet of the diverted material. In addition to UBQ™, the pallets are made from recycled materials that include recycled PP resin and recycled BOPP (a plastic film used in the company’s snack packaging). The pallets will be utilized at two Pepsi logistical centers.
“This innovation is very exciting for PepsiCo because it helps us on our journey through materials that replace virgin plastic while at the same time working on CO2 reduction,” said Raphael Cyjon, Senior Director of Operations at PepsiCo LatAm.
“In addition, this is a differentiated material because it represents an alternative to the chain as a whole, especially with regard to collection, sorting, transportation, and final disposal in landfills. Now we will go further, scale this solution in Brazil, Latin America and why not in other parts of the world.”
Commitment to the planet
PepsiCo has set robust environmental goals that are part of its sustainable transformation agenda, PepsiCo Positive (pep+). These include reducing GHG emissions by 40% in less than a decade and becoming Net-Zero by 2040. In packaging, it also has global objectives that guide it in concrete actions in search of a world where plastic does not become garbage. They include cutting virgin plastic by 50% across the entire food and beverage portfolio and using 50% recycled content in its plastic packaging by 2030; designing 100% of packaging to be recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable; and investing to increase recycling rates in key markets by 2025.
About UBQ Materials
UBQ Materials Ltd. has developed an advanced conversion technology, patenting the world’s first bio-based thermoplastic (UBQ™) made entirely of unsorted household waste, including all the organics; a revolutionary way to divert municipal solid waste from landfills and convert it into a sustainable substitute for oil-based plastics. A certified B Corp, UBQ is a globally awarded cleantech company with customers including Mercedes-Benz, global retail solutions provider Mainetti, , and Arcos Dorados, the world’s largest franchisee of McDonald’s restaurants across Latin America.