PURCHASE, N.Y., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP), one of the world's largest food and beverage businesses, today published its inaugural water report detailing the company's efforts to conserve and replenish water use in its operations and expand access to clean water across the globe. The release of the report, titled "Water Stewardship: Good for Business. Good for Society." coincides with PepsiCo's participation in Stockholm International Water Institute's (SIWI) World Water Week, an annual meeting that convenes public- and private-sector leaders focused on urgent, global water-related issues. The full water report can be found at http://www.pepsico.com/WaterReport.

"Currently, around one billion people are without access to clean drinking water, making the world water crisis one of the most pressing challenges of our time," said PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi. "As a global food and beverage company, we have an inherent responsibility to be good stewards of this increasingly limited resource, and we are proud of the progress made so far on our journey to minimize our water footprint while expanding access to clean water around the globe."  

In April 2010, PepsiCo unveiled a new set of global goals organized around the premise of respecting the human right to water through world-class efficiency in its operations, preserving water resources and enabling access to safe water. Specifically, the company has committed to:

• Improving its water use efficiency by 20 percent per unit of production by 2015;
• Striving for "positive water balance" – giving back more water than is used in operations – in water-distressed areas; and
• Providing access to safe water to three million people in developing countries by the end of 2015.

In addition to detailing how PepsiCo is working toward these ambitious goals, the water report highlights progress the company has made to date, including:

• Achieving a more than 15 percent improvement in water use efficiency as compared to the company's 2006 baseline;  
• Achieving "positive water balance" in India – through direct seeding initiatives, the company replenished nearly six billion liters of water across India, exceeding the total intake of approximately five billion liters of water by its manufacturing facilities; and
• Providing access to clean water to one million people by 2011, as a result of the more than $15 million pledged by PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation since 2005 to safe water and sanitation initiatives in developing countries.

More information about PepsiCo's commitment to protecting the earth's natural resources and the company's efforts to increase the efficient use of water can be found at www.pepsico.com/WaterReport.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses -- Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade -- also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries.  With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose.  By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide.  For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

SOURCE PepsiCo, Inc.