The newly-established PepsiCo Asia Research and Development (R&D) Center in Shanghai recently secured Leadership Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification from the US Green Building Council, making it the fourth PepsiCo R&D center worldwide to receive the prestigious billing and sixth unit overall for the company's Greater China Region (GCR) division.

LEED gold certification represents the most comprehensive and influential global standard for the evaluation of environmentally-friendly and sustainable buildings.

The LEED system evaluates the environmental impact of buildings, measuring their performance across a broad set of criteria based on a facility's carbon footprint.

The PepsiCo Asia R&D Center was built using the latest technologies, materials and processes in environmental design to protect natural resources and incur lower operational costs.

Through the use of water-saving equipment, rainwater-recovery facilities, innovative sewage-process systems and reclaimed water solutions, PepsiCo's Asia R&D Center consumes 80 percent less water than traditional non-LEED facilities.

In regards to energy consumption, the R&D center leverages natural lighting for over 90 percent of its office area and light and motion mobile sensors for non-natural light areas, resulting in a 16-percent reduction in energy usage compared with conventional buildings. Additionally, 21 percent of construction materials used in the facility are made of recyclable contents.

PepsiCo's Asia R&D Center opened in November 2012, becoming the company's largest fully-integrated R&D center outside North America. The center is the hub for all new product, packaging and equipment innovation for PepsiCo's Asia operations, focusing on localizing PepsiCo food and beverage products.

The facility is equipped with an advanced culinary center, test kitchens and a pilot manufacturing plant that allows researchers to quickly test new products in order to help accelerate the pace of PepsiCo's innovation in Asian markets.

Shank Hu, PepsiCo's R&D director for Asia, Africa and the Middle East, said the facility would pave the way for new breakthroughs in the food and beverage industry.

"Our Asia R&D Center is one of the most integrated food and beverage R&D facilities in the world. Its LEED gold certification is a great honor as it recognizes PepsiCo's commitment to 'performance with purpose' by reducing the environmental footprint of our operation here in China," Hu said.

Previously, five GCR PepsiCo factories including beverage plants in Chongqing, Nanchang, Kunming, Zhengzhou and the recently opened Wuhan Pepsi Foods plant were granted LEED gold certification.

PepsiCo entered China more than 30 years ago. Environmental sustainability initiatives are integrated into all aspects of the company's operations, from facilities and equipment to packaging.

PepsiCo's GCR operation has cut both water and energy consumption in every production process by 40 percent over the past five years.

In December 2012, the Tingyi-PepsiCo strategic alliance, which is now the leading beverage system in the Chinese market, was recognized by the China Beverage Industry Association for its outstanding performance in reducing energy and emissions. It was also lauded for sustainable development. The alliance received a total of 90 awards for "Water and Energy-saving Outstanding Enterprises."

Global Times