PepsiCo announced March 19 it has achieved two water sustainability milestones established under its pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) strategy: 100% water replenishment at company-owned facilities in high water-risk watersheds and full adoption of the Alliance for Water Stewardship Standard across all such manufacturing sites globally.
The achievement means PepsiCo restores the equivalent amount or more of water back into natural water resources for every liter used at facilities located in high-risk watersheds. In 2025, more than 60 active projects replenished nearly 29 billion liters of water back into local watersheds through nature-based conservation, wetland restoration, water infrastructure initiatives, and on-farm irrigation efficiency efforts.
“Water is foundational to our business and the communities where we operate,” said Jim Andrew, chief sustainability officer at PepsiCo. “Reaching these goals shows what is possible when business strategy, local expertise, and global partnerships come together. This is pep+ in action: delivering real impact for people and ecosystems while building long-term business resilience.”
Watershed restoration through localized projects
PepsiCo’s replenishment strategy relies on locally led, community-centered nature-based projects designed to improve watershed health in water-stressed regions. These initiatives return, restore, or preserve water volumes drawn from high water-risk areas while strengthening ecosystem health and community resilience.
In Colorado, PepsiCo supports the Windy Gap Connectivity Project, reconnecting fragmented sections of the Colorado River to restore natural flow patterns and strengthen water supply reliability for the Denver region. The initiative delivered more than 1.3 billion liters in replenishment during 2025.
In the Dominican Republic, the company partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to implement agroforestry systems in the Ozama River Basin, reducing erosion and improving groundwater retention. In Turkey, PepsiCo helps farmers in Izmir, Manisa, and Tarsus transition from flood irrigation to high-efficiency drip systems, replenishing nearly 779 million liters in 2025.
Additional projects span Egypt, Spain, and other regions where PepsiCo operates facilities designated as high water-risk based on assessments using the World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct water stress tool.
Alliance for Water Stewardship Standard adoption
Alongside replenishment progress, PepsiCo completed adoption of the Alliance for Water Stewardship Standard across all company-owned manufacturing facilities in high water-risk areas. PepsiCo joined the Alliance for Water Stewardship in 2018 with the goal of implementing the standard at all such facilities by end of 2025.
The AWS Standard provides a globally recognized, voluntary framework for businesses to measure, manage, and improve water usage and impacts. The framework requires companies to assess basin-level water conditions, engage stakeholders, and implement site-specific improvements based on local watershed requirements.
AWS adoption has been led by cross-functional teams within PepsiCo who identified local water risks and evaluated opportunities to implement water stewardship practices aligned with operational decision-making.
“Water is a fundamental human right, and yet water scarcity remains a significant global challenge, affecting millions around the world,” said Roberta Barbieri, global vice president of sustainability, climate and water at PepsiCo.
Both milestones have been assured by third-party verification, according to the company.
Transition to 2030 water positive goals
PepsiCo will sunset both 2025 water targets and focus on expanded 2030 sustainability ambitions. The company aims to achieve Net Water Positive status by 2030, expanding replenishment efforts beyond company-owned facilities to include franchise bottler manufacturing operations.
Additional 2030 targets include improving water-use efficiency by reaching average ratios of 1.4 liters per liter of production in beverage sites and 1.7 liters per kilogram of production in convenient foods sites for all high water-risk PepsiCo and franchise bottler manufacturing facilities.
PepsiCo also maintains a goal to provide safe water access to 100 million people by 2030, building on existing programs and new collaborations addressing water insecurity in communities where the company operates.
“We aim to lead in responsible water stewardship, and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished so far. But the work doesn’t stop here,” Barbieri said. “As we look ahead to 2030, we’ll continue striving toward our ambitions—to be Net Water Positive and to live up to our vision that wherever we operate, water resources are more sustainable and more resilient because of our presence.”
Broader sustainability integration
The water achievements strengthen PepsiCo’s progress on broader pep+ ambitions including climate resilience and regenerative agriculture. The company pushed back net-zero climate and packaging targets in May 2025 to account for “external realities” but retained its 2030 water positive commitment.
Water stewardship represents a strategic priority for PepsiCo given water’s role as a fundamental input for beverage and food manufacturing. High water-risk regions face growing challenges from climate change, population growth, and competing demands on freshwater resources, making corporate water strategies increasingly important for operational resilience and community relations.
The milestone places PepsiCo among a small group of multinational corporations aligning operational water use with basin-level sustainability requirements, reflecting growing expectations from investors and regulators that corporate water strategies extend beyond efficiency to ecosystem restoration and community resilience.
