Frito Lay Moving Towards Net Zero

From bio fuels, waste elimination, water reclamation, use of solar and other energy efficiencies Frito Lay is consciously reducing the risk of future energy cost increases. They have for years been reinvesting savings from adopted energy efficiencies into capital investments that are paying for themselves in additional savings while fostering a public image of good environmental stewardship.

Their website lists specific examples of steps they have taken at their various plants in California, Arizona, New York and Texas.

Some highlights:

The leadership at Frito Lay asked the question "What if we incorporated all of the groundbreaking water and energy reduction technology and expertise we had learned from our plants across the country into a single plant?" Could they create a model that could be duplicated at all of their facilities to drastically reduce their impacts?

They selected their Casa Grande plant in Arizona for several reasons. The plant is a large enough plant to make a difference, but small enough to be manageable. It's desert location has great solar access for power and because water conservation is so important in that dry climate.

What they are doing:

1) Using solar concentrators to collect solar power to help cook our chips.

2) Utilizing breakthrough technologies to reuse the water used in the process of making chips by filtering it until it is cleaner than drinking water.

3) Burning biofuels, or natural waste sources, to produce additional heat and electricity.

And almost every piece of waste generated at the plant will either be reused or recycled – for instance, potato peelings and cornhusks will be sent to livestock farms for use as feed.

When all of the technology is in place they expect to reduce their water usage by 90% and reduce the amount of waste going to landfills by 99%. 

It is good to see major corporations moving in this direction. As unlikely as it may seem, small businesses have a greater impact on the environment than large corporations because there are so many more of them, they employ more people and much of what small business does is not regulated. If you own a small business, consider registering on this website and filling out the checklist as you have time. Once the checklist is complete someone from the Shoreline Green Business Program team will contact you for a site visit to see if there are programs or resources we can suggest to help you shift towards a better bottom line through efficiencies.