PepsiCo has announced the opening of its 'most sustainable factory' in Europe, which is located in Poland, near Środa Śląska.
The €300 million project, the company’s fifth plant in the country, will produce for the domestic market and export to over 20 countries, including Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.
The opening ceremony of the plant was inaugurated by the Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki and US ambassador Mark Brzezinski. The event was attended by over 150 government officials, local authorities, project partners and PepsiCo employees.
Sustainability Solutions
The Polish plant will use new sustainability solutions such as collecting rainwater for reuse and generating its own energy via rooftop solar panels, with the plant set to be climate neutral by 2035.
As well as low utility consumption, the facility generates its own energy via solar panels, with plans to introduce an onsite solar farm in the future. Heat process water and rainwater will also be recovered for use in building utilities.
Technology
Potatoes from the manufacturing process will play a key role with leftover peelings used to help power the plant using anaerobic digestor technology, then converted into a low carbon fertiliser which is given back to the farmers to help them grow their next crop.
The plant also incorporates new sustainable solutions such as electrification of steam generation and an electric fleet of company cars with dedicated charging stations.
'Major Milestone'
"Poland is a strategic market with a significant development potential, where we have been investing for over 30 years," said Silviu Popovici, CEO of PepsiCo Europe.
"The opening of this new, environmentally sustainable snack facility is a major milestone for PepsiCo in Europe. We would like to thank our associates and our partners for helping us reimagine the future of food and bringing this facility to life."
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest A-Brands news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
