Frito-Lay North America announced its first-ever third-party shipment on an electric vehicle (EV) with Schneider National.

This is PepsiCo’s first third-party transportation shipment on an EV globally. It establishes FLNA as the first to contract transport on Schneider's electric truck fleet of Freightliner eCascadias.

"Today's milestone shipment underscores the importance of cross-industry collaboration in building a more sustainable food system and achieving Frito-Lay and PepsiCo Positive's goal of net-zero emissions by 2040," said David Allen, vice president and chief sustainability officer, PepsiCo Foods North America. "As a company with massive scale, Frito-Lay looks for opportunities to create positive change — but we can't do it alone. By working with Schneider, we are taking an important step forward in our efforts to reduce value chain emissions and move our snack products in a more sustainable way."

Reducing Truck Route Emissions

A 70% emissions reduction is expected this year from the initial EV routes, versus the same shipments on diesel trucks, which is equivalent to eliminating more than 180,000 miles driven by gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the road.

Initial shipments on Schneider's growing Freightliner eCascadia fleet will be intermodal inbound and outbound dray moves in southern California, including service to Frito-Lay's Rancho Cucamonga distribution center.

"As we roll out our fleet of almost 100 new battery electric trucks, we're thrilled to offer a cleaner mode of freight transportation to valued customers like Frito-Lay, who share our goal of operating in ways that are environmentally responsible," said Rob Reich, executive vice president and chief administrative officer, Schneider.

"For decades, we have been committed to improving sustainability at Schneider, and we're proud to now be able to positively impact our customers' operations as well. Working together, we are decreasing the carbon footprint of shipments in southern California and making a positive difference."

Pledging Net-Zero Emissions

PepsiCo and Frito-Lay have pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040 through PepsiCo Positive, a comprehensive sustainability initiative that prioritizes operating within ecological limits to promote growth and value.

Given that third-party transportation and distribution account for 20% of PepsiCo's emissions, it is crucial to collaborate with partners who generate these emissions. Frito-Lay's partnership with Schneider is laying the foundation for increasing the usage of low- or zero-emissions vehicles in their third-party transportation.

Additionally, Frito-Lay is making strides in reducing emissions in its company-owned fleet. For example, one of its largest manufacturing plants in Modesto, California, has become the first site to introduce alternative fuel vehicles throughout its operation.

It has also introduced 40 fully electric, zero-emissions trucks to serve the Dallas-Fort Worth market in 2022.