How PepsiCo is making every drop of water count

Water is the world’s most precious resource and is vital for PepsiCo’s business. It nourishes the potatoes grown to make Lay’s chips, is an ingredient in our products and keeps our operations running around the world. But climate change, population growth and pollution are straining our freshwater supplies and putting the health and safety of communities, ecosystems and our entire food system at risk.

To conserve and protect the water we all rely on, PepsiCo has a vision to become “Net Water Positive,” meaning we are focused on water use efficiency and replenishing 100% of the water we use in high water risk areas. “Water is essential and access to clean and safe drinking water is a fundamental human right,” says Roberta Barbieri, PepsiCo’s Vice President of Water and Climate. “When PepsiCo talks about being ‘Net Water Positive,’ we’re saying we envision our presence strengthening local water systems, especially in high risk water areas, not straining them.”

In 2024, this vision took shape in a big way. As detailed in PepsiCo’s 2024 ESG Summary, the company replenished 24 billion liters of water globally, the equivalent of filling 9,600 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Building a resilient water future

To help protect and preserve the world’s supply of clean water for current and future generations, PepsiCo supports projects across three key needs: water replenishment, water efficiency and safe water access.

To replenish 100% of the water we use in the most high-risk watersheds — areas where rainfall drains into shared water bodies — we aim to restore and protect wetlands, remove invasive species of plants and repair natural water systems. We also aim to minimize water usage inside our manufacturing facilities; and on the farms that grow our ingredients, we aim to implement innovations that cut down on wastewater and bring efficiency to crop watering through the use of drip irrigation. And to support communities without dependable water access, the PepsiCo Foundation invests in safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure.

Restoring water where it’s needed most

Water replenishment is one of the areas where PepsiCo is seeing the biggest impact. We’ve been actively engaged in watershed replenishment work since 2016, and we’ve restored billions of liters of water, helping to bring ecosystems back to life and supporting the communities that depend on them.

Last year, our project with the Arbor Day Foundation led to the planting of more than 160,000 trees in the Ozama River Basin in the Dominican Republic, reducing erosion and flood risks and improving groundwater. In 2024 alone, the presence of these trees replenished 110 million liters of water. And in Indonesia, through tree planting and conservation and local community education, a project near Mount Pangrango and Gunung Halimun Salak National Parks is helping protect vital freshwater sources and biodiversity for over 30 million people and replenished 21.6 million liters of water in 2024.

We continue to grow our water replenishment efforts in 2025, with several new projects launching in Florida, including converting nearly 700 acres of Florida sugarcane farms to drip irrigation watering systems, working with N-Drip and Netafim, and restoring wetlands in the Florida Everglades. In this project with Audubon, invasive, non-native trees were injected with an herbicide, eliminating them without disturbing native plants or soil conditions. This will restore natural water flow and increase the wetlands’ long-term resilience and ability to retain water.

Forging system wide change

PepsiCo is also stepping up to support more sustainable farming beyond the lands that support the growth of our key crops and ingredients. “No matter how efficient the farmers who supply PepsiCo may be, if the rest of the farmers in the watershed aren’t doing the same, it doesn’t have the most optimal impact because everybody is drawing from the same resource,” Roberta explains. “Collaboration is key, and everyone has a role to play in protecting the watersheds we all rely on.”

Last year, we led two watershed health projects in India and Mexico, where vital water resources are under duress. And while these programs are just getting started, they’re already making a real impact. In India’s Hathras District, we helped 10 villages build long-term water security plans and worked with over 1,600 local farmers outside our supply chain, teaching them simple but powerful ways to save water. We were able to restore more than 81 million liters of water through these efforts and plan to grow the program with more villages and farmers.

“Farmers are getting on board and seeing major water savings and improved crop yields, and these projects are driving system change,” Roberta says. “With our reach and resources, we can help inspire and accelerate solutions beyond our own footprint and really make a meaningful impact.”

Deepening our impact

For PepsiCo, conserving and protecting water is not just about meeting targets; it’s about helping to secure the future of communities, ecosystems, our business and a resilient global food system. “We’ve come a long way since launching our first water goals in 2016 and watching our water replenishment work grow from a bold plan into real, on-the-ground impact has been incredibly rewarding,” Roberta says. “I’m excited to build on this momentum, bring in more partners and do even more to protect the water that sustains us all.”