• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
CommentaryRecycling

Indra Nooyi: Recycling Rates Are Declining. PepsiCo Has a Plan to Change That

By
Indra K. Nooyi
Indra K. Nooyi
and
Bethany Cianciolo
Bethany Cianciolo
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Indra K. Nooyi
Indra K. Nooyi
and
Bethany Cianciolo
Bethany Cianciolo
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 31, 2018, 9:11 AM ET
Fortune Most Powerful Women 2017 Summit
019 FORTUNE MOST POWERFUL WOMEN 2017 SUMMIT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2017 WASHINGTON, D.C. 9:15 AM LEADING THROUGH DISRUPTION Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo Interviewer: Pattie Sellers, Fortune Photograph by Danuta Otfinowski for Fortune Most Powerful Women Photograph by Danuta Otfinowski for Fortune Most Powerful Women
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

As CEO of a global company, I do a lot of traveling. Every time I go abroad, I meet new people, absorb different cultures, and gaze in awe at the beauty of our extraordinary planet.

But in too many places, I also see something else: an alarming amount of waste by the side of the road, piling up in our cities and polluting our oceans. It’s deeply troubling, all the more so because it’s altogether preventable. Something has to change, and we can start here at home.

Over the past few years, recycling rates for aluminum and many common plastics have been falling in the United States. The result: 22 million tons of household recyclables are landfilled every year. In fact, studies show that almost 70% of all potentially recyclable plastic bottles in the United States end up in landfills, on the street, or in the ocean.

Have Americans given up on recycling? I don’t think so. Nearly three-fourths say they believe recycling is important and should be a priority.

More likely, Americans simply don’t know exactly how to recycle, or lack ready access to a recycling bin. At PepsiCo (PEP), we have been investing in recycling for almost 10 years through the PepsiCo Recycling Program and organizations like the Closed Loop Fund, committing a total of approximately $55 million to recovery efforts in the U.S. alone. We are also one of the largest users of recycled plastic in the U.S. In fact, if more were available, we’d buy it. But we recognize that these efforts are simply not enough.

That’s why PepsiCo is partnering with The Recycling Partnership on an initiative we’re calling “All In On Recycling” to reverse the decline in U.S. residential recycling rates over the next five years. Together we’re aiming to capture as many as 7 billion additional containers over that period, along with other recyclable materials from households across the United States.

And we’re challenging others to join us by making their own commitment to go “All In On Recycling.” As part of the challenge, the PepsiCo Foundation is investing $10 million in what we hope will become a $25 million industry-wide fund. In addition to the contributions from our industry, the more than 2,800 communities that participate in the initiative will triple our collective investment, catalyzing roughly $75 million in municipal funding, and bringing the total amount of support to $100 million.

 

That support will help 25 million families by providing critical recycling education and single and multi-family home recycling programs. And because every trash can should have a recycling bin by its side, we’ll offer curbside carts—a proven way to double the amount of recyclables recovered. The Recycling Partnership also estimates that by using recycled materials instead of manufacturing new ones, this collaboration will allow us to avoid emitting 5.5 million tons of CO2, the equivalent of removing more than 1 million cars from the road for a year.

Of course, what’s required to meet the challenge of recycling the world’s waste is more than a single partnership. What’s required are new ways of thinking, including working with policymakers on regulatory frameworks that can encourage recycling, and bringing together some of the world’s most brilliant minds to innovate our way out of this problem. We’ve been trying to do our part at PepsiCo by using less packaging material and investing in new technologies to meet the goal of having 100% of our packaging be recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable by 2025.

I’ve always believed corporations do not operate in a vacuum—we have responsibilities to the communities we serve. For too long, many companies have not met those responsibilities when it comes to recycling the products we make. If other companies are willing to join us and go “All In On Recycling,” that can change—starting today.

Indra K. Nooyi is chairman and CEO of PepsiCo.

About the Authors
By Indra K. Nooyi
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Bethany Cianciolo
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Commentary

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Commentary

sb
Commentaryclimate change
The climate policy triangle: why leaders can no longer choose between growth, security and sustainability
By Sebastian BuckupJune 23, 2026
11 hours ago
brett
CommentaryManagement
Middle managers aren’t going extinct—they’re evolving into something more powerful
By Brett HurtJune 23, 2026
20 hours ago
ravi
CommentaryAI agents
Yale School of Management: surveillance pricing is just the beginning. AI agents will be the real test of corporate trust
By Ravi Dhar and Jon IwataJune 23, 2026
21 hours ago
elon
CommentaryElon Musk
Elon Musk’s trillion dollars aren’t real — and that’s the point
By Douglas P. McCormickJune 23, 2026
21 hours ago
gen z
CommentaryCareers
Gen Z: if you want to succeed at work, you need to start friction-maxxing
By Michelle SobelJune 23, 2026
22 hours ago
rp
CommentaryLaw
Cooley CEO: Big Law won’t survive if it treats AI as just an efficiency tool
By Rachel ProffittJune 23, 2026
22 hours ago

Most Popular

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
21 hours ago
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
Banking
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
By Jim EdwardsJune 23, 2026
23 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 23, 2026
20 hours ago
Meet the 2 men putting New York's $300 billion pension fund in play for the first time in 20 years
Investing
Meet the 2 men putting New York's $300 billion pension fund in play for the first time in 20 years
By Nick LichtenbergJune 22, 2026
2 days ago
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
Success
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
By Sydney LakeJune 21, 2026
3 days ago
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
Real Estate
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
By Sydney LakeJune 22, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.