PepsiCo uses hydrocarbons in 5,000 vending machines

Amid efforts to green its identity, PepsiCo has now thousands of greener vending machines worldwide, 5,000 of which use hydrocarbons isobutane and propane. In a move that has been acclaimed by environmental NGO Greenpeace, Pepsi’s new machines generate considerable lesser amounts of GHG emissions than current ones.

In a press release, issued this Monday, PepsiCo announced it was testing thousands of vending machines around the world that relied on isobutane and propane refrigerants. More specifically an estimated 5,000 Pepsi hydrocarbon vending machines are currently been used globally.

PepsiCo worked with Greenpeace Solutions, an arm of the large environmental organisation, to develop a programme of testing greener vending machines, including hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide machines. "Changing the chemicals in refrigeration is the low hanging fruit of climate change. We can make enormous progress using existing technology much of which is already in use in Europe and Asia, and Pepsi's tremendous improvements in energy savings takes these technologies a step further. It is gratifying and exciting to see PepsiCo take such a strong leadership role,” says Amy Larkin, Director of Greenpeace Solutions.

Pepsi greening their refrigeration

As a member of Refrigerants Naturally! since 2006 and in a move to reduce its carbon footprint and green its image, Pepsi is focusing on three main points to reduce its overall carbon footprint and be in line with its strategic targets:

Energy: Improving the energy efficiency of its machines, as energy use accounts for the vast majority of refrigeration equipment's GHG emissions
Insulating Foam: Eliminating HFCs from the insulating foam in vending machines, coolers and fountain equipment
Refrigerants: Using green refrigerants instead of HFCs in its equipment

Through initiatives such as improving the energy efficiency of its vending machines and mandating that the foam used to insulate its vending machines and coolers be free of HFCs PepsiCo maintains to have reduced greenhouse gas emissions from its refrigeration equipment by 598,000 metric tons, an average of 282,000 metric tons/year.

Background

PepsiCo currently has about 4 million to 5 million vending machines and coolers around the world. It is a member of Refrigerants Naturally!, the global initiative focused on addressing climate change and ozone layer depletion caused by hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases.