CSO Insights: How food and beverage giant PepsiCo uses AI for its 'era of resilience'

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we talk to PepsiCo to understand how one of the world's biggest food and beverage companies is building resilient food systems. 

PepsiCo products are sold in more than 200 countries and territories, and Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Jim Andrew explains how the company works with its global farmer network to create long-term value. This is a challenge in a food system facing increasing stress from climate change, resource constraints and geopolitical uncertainty. 

"All these things are hitting — food, water, energy, supply chains — all at once. And so what used to be the occasional rare disruption now really shows up all the time," Jim says. "So what we're preparing for here at PepsiCo is what I call the 'era of resilience.'" 

Jim says AI is part of that resilience strategy, from helping farmers reduce their use of chemicals for pest control to making PepsiCo's plants and vehicle fleets operate more efficiently.  

"For us, AI is not just a technology choice," Jim says. "It helps us align the resources that we rely on with sustainable long-term business growth — and those two things really have to go together." 

This interview is the latest installment in our CSO Insights podcast series, where we talk to Chief Sustainability Officers around the world and across industries. Listen to all the episodes here: CSO Insights by All Things Sustainable - YouTube 

Further listening: 

Climate Week Zurich: How Swiss food giant Nestlé tackles sustainable supply chains | S&P Global  

What's next for sustainable food systems | S&P Global 

Infrastructure, food, finance: The complex picture for sustainability in Asia-Pacific markets | S&P Global 

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