Narcís Roura, general manager, PepsiCo Southwest Europe: “We must be sustainable, or we simply won’t survive”
“We must be sustainable or we simply won’t survive. We know it’s a massive challenge, but we’re optimistic and we think we can do it”, explained Narcís Roura, general manager of PepsiCo Southwest Europe at the latest Esade Matins session entitled ‘PepsiCo Positive (pep+): the complete, sustainability-oriented transformation of the company.” During the talk, the director revealed that “the new strategy will boost our long-term value and growth whilst having a positive impact on people and the planet”. PepsiCo, operating in some 200 countries, “can be an agent for change in this industry and creating a more sustainable food system”, he added.
The spectrum of the multinational’s new approach includes regenerated farming practices on more than 76,000 hectares in Spain, huge water savings that actually reach zero net water consumption in areas with acute water shortages like Murcia, and a 40% reduction in emissions by 2030 along its entire value chain. In addition, the company is determined to reach zero net emissions by 2040 and is committed to reducing the virgin plastic it uses by 50% to foster the recycling of packaging.
To achieve its ambitious goals, the company will build on the three core pillars of its business: agriculture, value chain and positive brands. On the subject of positive brands, Roura pointed out that “Brands such as Lay’s, Pepsi and Alvalle will play a leading role as agents of change. In this respect, we´ll be using a wider variety of ingredients in our products, speeding up the reduction in added sugars and salt, and focusing on new business models calling for little or no packaging”.
Collaboration: a sure-fire road to success
“The planet faces great challenges including climate change and inequality. We know we can’t deal with them by ourselves, we need to get the entire ecosystem involved”, underlined the managing director in reference to the public authorities, non-profit entities, consumers and other parties in the value chain. Roura said he was optimistic and emphasised that “setting our sights high will help us drive the change we need”.
As for business schools, Roura said that these educational establishments “must incorporate sustainability and digitalisation into their subjects transversally” and added that tomorrow’s world will need young talent equipped with “corporate leadership qualities that always focus on priorities, no matter how complex their surroundings might be”.
Esade Matins are meeting points where leaders of corporate and institutional leaders address their challenges, opportunities and track records.
