Mississauga, ON - In collaboration with Transport Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Frito Lay Canada, a division of PepsiCo Canada, is the country's first food manufacturer to introduce zero-emission electric vehicles into its delivery fleet. Six vehicles will be based at Frito Lay Canada’s major distribution centres across the country – three in Brampton (ON), one in Ottawa (ON), one in Surrey (BC) and one in Laval (QC).

The zero-emission electric vehicles were made by Smith Electric Vehicles, the world’s leading manufacturer of electric vehicles, and each has a 60 kilometre per day range which meets the daily kilometre needs of the majority of the routes from the designated distribution centres.  The six electric vehicles will be powered by electricity from the grid, offset by renewable energy credits, and at the end of the battery lifespan (3-5 years or longer) they will be returned to Smith Electric for recycling. 

“Electric vehicles are good for the environment because they do not use fossil fuels and they do not produce greenhouse gas or particulate emissions during operation,” says Helmi Ansari, sustainability leader, Frito Lay Canada. “We’ve been striving to reduce our footprint on the planet for many years and energy conservation has long been a strategic initiative for the company. Today’s introduction of electric vehicles to our fleet brings us one step closer to our vision of a fleet that’s comprised of several types of highly-efficient vehicles that meet our various route needs and driving distances across the country.”

“Commitment to sustainable growth is a core Frito Lay Canada value, as it is for our parent company, PepsiCo Inc, which strives to achieve Performance with Purpose.  Performance with Purpose is about achieving financial success while improving all aspects of the communities in which we operate - environmentally, socially and economically - creating a better tomorrow,” says Marc Guay, president, PepsiCo Foods Canada. “The introduction of our six zero-emission electric vehicles is the latest step in our ongoing environmental sustainability journey,”

 “There are long-term benefits to having a sustainability strategy – both for the business and the environment,” said Guay.  “We think it’s about demonstrating leadership and being a responsible corporate citizen.  We are on an environmental sustainability journey and we firmly believe our efforts will have a long-term benefit to our consumers and the environment.”

The goals at Frito Lay Canada are clear: use less water, electricity and fuels while reducing waste from everything the company makes, moves and sells. In addition to the introduction of the electric vehicles into its delivery fleet, Frito Lay Canada has:

• Reduced the total distance travelled by delivery trucks by 3 per cent (1 million kilometres) in 2009 by optimizing delivery routes.
• Reduced manufacturing fuel consumption by more than 20 per cent since 1999 per kilogram   of snacks produced.
• Reduced water consumption by over 30 per cent per unit since 1999, saving 5.4 billion litres of water through changes in manufacturing plants.
• Reused approximately 40 million shipping cartons since 1999 which is equivalent to more than 300,000 trees saved annually and more than 2 million trees saved since 1999.
• In 2009, diverted more than 92 per cent of manufacturing waste from landfills into recycling and re-use streams, and are striving for over 99 per cent Landfill diversion (1 per cent or less of the waste going to landfill).
• Introduced the world’s first 100 per cent compostable chip bag innovation with the SunChips® brand.

Frito Lay Canada’s environmental sustainability efforts were recognized in 2009 by several prestigious Canadian government and industry environmental awards:

• 2009 CIPEC (Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation) Leadership Award for Corporate Stewardship
• 2009 Green Supply Chain Award from Transport Canada and Supply Chain Logistics Canada
• 2009 CCME (Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment) Pollution Prevention Award

This year’s introduction of the SunChips® 100 per cent compostable chip bag and today’s announcement about the addition of the six zero-emission electric vehicles are all important steps in the environmental sustainability journey with many more initiatives to continue into 2010 and beyond.