PepsiCo has announced its new Positive Agriculture initiative, which aims to spread regenerative farming practices across seven million acres that approximately covers its entire agricultural footprint to offset at least three million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by the end of 2030.

The new initiative of the company also covers its ambition to sustainably source its key ingredients, as well as improve the livelihoods of more than 250,000 people in its agricultural supply chain.

PepsiCo chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta said: “Any plan to tackle the urgent challenges facing the global food system must address agriculture, the source of nourishment for billions of people and a key lever to address climate change and inequality.

“As one of the world’s leading food and beverage companies, a resilient food system is essential to our business, and with our scale, we have an opportunity and responsibility to drive meaningful change.

“PepsiCo’s Positive Agriculture agenda prioritises investment, innovation, and robust collaboration with our farming partners to deliver impact around the world. Working together, we can reduce our collective carbon footprint, feed a rapidly growing population, and provide meaningful economic opportunities for more people.”

As part of its Positive Agriculture initiative, PepsiCo aims to source crops and ingredients in a way that accelerates regenerative agriculture and strengthens farming communities.

It also plans to continue its collaboration with farmers across 60 countries to adopt practices that build resilience and improve and restore ecosystems.

The objective to sustainably source 100% of key ingredients will not only include the directly sourced crops such as potatoes, whole corn, oats and oranges but also key crops from third parties, including vegetable oils and grains.

PepsiCo chief sustainability officer Jim Andrew said: “Through our Sustainable Farming Program and ongoing work with tens of thousands of farmers, we’ve seen first-hand the ability to drive solutions within our agricultural communities, resulting in nature-based outcomes.

“We’re accelerating our Positive Agriculture agenda because we know we have to do even more to create truly systemic change.

“By focusing on regenerative agriculture practices at the local level to improve soil health, we can build a stronger foundation for our products and help make the entire food system more sustainable.”