Climate Lobbying Overview: PepsiCo appears to have active and largely positive engagement with climate change legislation in 2021-23. PepsiCo has supported the climate provisions in the Build Back Better Act and a 100% zero-emission 2035 vehicle target for heavy-duty vehicles in the EU However, PepsiCo is still a member of several obstructive trade associations that oppose climate policy.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: PepsiCo's website, accessed in 2022, states support for the Paris Agreement and calls on governments globally to take action in line with a 1.5C target. The company also states on its website that it supports the “recent push at the U.S. federal level to bring forward a wide range of climate policies that would help transition the U.S. to a low-carbon economy, and we share in the urgency to enact these measures.” In October 2021, PepsiCo signed a letter to U.S. policymakers supporting the climate provisions in the Build Back Better Act (reconciliation bill). In the EU, the company was signatory to a joint industry letter to the European Commission in December 2022 that supported the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality target. PepsiCo also advocated for an ambitious Fit for 55 package in an open letter to the president of the EU in May 2022. In October 2021, the company expressed support for the EU’s Green Deal and 2050 carbon neutrality carbon targets in a consultation response to the European Commission's impact assessment on a sustainable EU Food System Framework. The company also supported carbon pricing and market mechanisms to address climate change in a September 2021 joint letter to G20 governments ahead of COP26. PepsiCo also signed a WEF joint letter in November 2022 stating “market-based instruments (including carbon markets, power purchase agreements, etc.) have an essential role to play in reducing emissions globally”.

Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: PepsiCo’s engagement with specific climate policy is mostly positive. In the EU, the company advocated for ambitious reforms to the EU’s emissions trading system and renewable energy directive in a May 2022 open letter to the EU President Ursula von der Leyen, and supported carbon pricing mechanisms in a joint letter with the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders in October 2021. The company also advocated for more ambitious GHG emissions targets and a zero emissions target of 2035 for heavy duty vehicles in the EU in a December 2022 joint letter to the European Commission.
In the US, in a September 2021 BICEP coalition joint letter PepsiCo supported ambitious GHG standards and zero emissions target of 2035 for light duty vehicles in the US. However, more negatively, the company endorsed the Climate Leadership Council’s most recent Bipartisan Climate Roadmap, which was released in August 2021 and advocates for “trading the most ambitious carbon price enacted by any leading emitter nation for regulatory relief.” The Climate Leadership Council’s position, which PepsiCo appeared to support in its 2022 CDP Climate Change Disclosure, expresses supports a price on carbon, but also simultaneously supports the “rollback of carbon emissions regulations that are no longer necessary”. In a November 2022 WEF joint letter addressed to policymakers at COP27, PepsiCo expressed general support for legislation to support renewable energy legislation and standards.

Positioning on Energy Transition: Pepsi has positive engagement on transitioning the energy mix globally. PepsiCo advocated for the phaseout of coal power plants by 2030 in advanced economies, 2040 in other economies, and the electrification of transportation in a September 2021 We Mean Business Coalition joint letter. The company also supported a transition to zero emission heavy duty vehicles by 2035 in a joint letter to the European Commission in December 2022. In a December 2021 LinkedIn post with Walmart, PepsiCo stated its support for EV infrastructure in the US. PepsiCo also advocated for the removal of fossil fuel subsidies in a September 2021 joint letter to G20 governments. In its Q3 2022 Federal Lobbying Disclosure, the company stated it engaged on EV tax credits as well as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but did not disclose positions on either.

Industry Association Governance: PepsiCo discloses a list of industry associations of which it is a member but provides limited details on its role within each association, the extent to which its own positions align with those of the groups, and actions taken to address misalignment. The company has not published a formal review of its alignment with its industry associations. PepsiCo remains a member of several powerful groups largely opposed to U.S. climate policy, such as the National Association of Manufacturers and California Chamber of Commerce. While Pepsi remains a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, it has publicly stated it does not share the Chamber's views on climate and does not serve on the Board. PepsiCo is also a member of Business Roundtable, which demonstrates mixed positions on climate policy.

InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q1 2023.