PepsiCo facing ‘$4.4bn of climate related risk per year’

US food and beverage giant PepsiCo could be exposed to $4.4bn of climate related risk per year by the end of the decade if it stays on its current emissions trajectory, according to research by NGO Planet Tracker.

Planet Tracker also claimed that PepsiCo fails to disclose the material financial impact associated with potential Carbon Pricing Mechanisms (CPMs) linked to its Scope 3 emissions, despite these accounting for more than 90% of the company’s overall emissions by 2030.

The report also revealed that unless future emissions are mitigated, PepsiCo will miss its Science-Based climate targets (SBTs) by 58%.

Ion Visinovschi, research analyst at Planet Tracker, said: “The potential climate-related financial risk PepsiCo is exposed to is too high to ignore. Expected CPMs could reduce its annual operating profit by 26% by the end of the decade, with an additional 16% reduction coming from physical risk.

“Investors and lenders should demand a credible climate transition plan where the risk of its main source of emissions is publicly quantified and the expected mitigation quantities and required investment for the mitigation is fully disclosed.”

According to the Climate Action 100+ engagement initiative, PepsiCo has met four of the CA100+'s ten climate goals; committing to net zero by 2050, medium and long term greenhouse gas reduction targets, and a board with a clear oversight on climate change.

Responding to the claims, a spokesperson for PepsiCo said: “We have published an in-depth Climate Action Strategy identifying the key levers we intend to pull in an effort to achieve our climate reduction ambitions, and we are making progress towards our 2030 and net zero goals.

“As of 2021, we reduced our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25%, against a 2015 baseline, and because we recognize that mitigating Scope 3 emissions is not a quick solve and is a challenge for all businesses, we are providing support to our value chain partners to help them with their climate transition.”

Last year Net Zero Investor investigated the food and beverage industry, in light of the Carlsberg Group setting a net-zero target.