PepsiCo opens its “most environmentally sustainable” EU facility in Poland

PepsiCo Inc opened its fifth production plant in Swiatem near Sroda Slsska, Poland on 31 May, which it said is "the most environmentally sustainable, technologically advanced and innovative PepsiCo facility in the European Union”.
The 1bn Polish zloty (€222.6m) facility consists of three technologically advanced, energy-efficient production lines, according to PepsiCo, with €28.2m of the investment going towards environmental solutions.
Two of the lines are set to produce 12,500 packets of Lay's potato chips within an hour, while a third will produce 30,000 packs of Doritos nachos - marking the first time a Polish snack facility will produce this brand of product.
The plant uses a heat recovery system from the potato frying process, which involves using 100% of the biogas generated from natural resource-based product production to heat the treatment plant building.
The generated power from the production lines is 3 megawatts, which is 60% of the heat needed for the entire building. This is in addition to the 3.2 megawatts generated from an electric steam boiler that significantly reduces the facility's carbon footprint.
PepsiCo added it will continue to invest in environmentally friendly solutions for the facility, including wind turbines, a decentralised biogas plant that utilises leftover biomass from the production process and the expansion of the treatment plant to produce biofertiliser. The company said it aims for the facility to achieve zero net emissions by 2035.
As well as its environmental credentials, the plant contributes to the expansion of product range and scale of production for 20 European countries.
The total area of the plant is approximately 13.5 acres (equivalent to seven football pitches), while the adjacent production hall is close to 6 acres. It will be fully operational in 2025.
“Poland is a strategic market with great development potential, where we have been investing for over 30 years,” said Silviu Popovici, president of PepsiCo Europe. “The opening of this new, environmentally sustainable snack establishment marks a milestone for PepsiCo in Europe. I would like to thank our stakeholders and employees for their help in implementing the assumptions regarding food production in accordance with our PEP+ vision. I am proud that this facility was opened in such a short time.”