Frito Lay North America announced Thursday that it received its first-ever third-party shipment of an electric vehicle, the latest step in its commitment to decarbonizing its supply chain.
The shipment was delivered by Schneider National Inc., a multimodal provider of transportation, intermodal, and logistics services, and represents the first third-party transportation shipment on an electric vehicle for PepsiCo globally. Frito Lay NA is the first PepsiCo division to contract transport through Schneider’s EV truck fleet of Freightliner eCascadias.
“Today’s milestone shipment underscores the importance of cross-industry collaboration in building a more sustainable food system and achieving Frito-Lay and PepsiCo Positive’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2040,” David Allen, vice president and chief sustainability officer, PepsiCo Foods North America, said. “As a company with massive scale, Frito-Lay looks for opportunities to create positive change – but we can’t do it alone. By working with Schneider, we are taking an important step forward in our efforts to reduce value chain emissions and move our snack products in a more sustainable way.”
Initial shipments on Schneider’s eCascadia fleet will be intermodal inbound and outbound dray moves in southern California, including to Frito Lay’s Rancho Cucamonga distribution center. The company expects an emission reduction of more than 70 percent from the initial EV routes, equivalent to eliminating more than 180,000 miles driven by gasoline-powered passenger vehicles.
“As we roll out our fleet of almost 100 new battery electric trucks, we’re thrilled to offer a cleaner mode of freight transportation to valued customers like Frito-Lay, who share our goal of operating in ways that are environmentally responsible,” Rob Reich, executive vice president and chief administrative officer with Schneider, said. “For decades, we have been committed to improving sustainability at Schneider, and we’re proud to now be able to positively impact our customers’ operations as well. Working together, we are decreasing the carbon footprint of shipments in southern California and making a positive difference.”
Frito-Lay and PepsiCo have committed to a net-zero emission goal by 2040 and have envisioned an end-to-end transformation putting sustainability at the center of the company’s growth and value. The company said third-party transportation and distribution is 20 percent of its emissions footprint.