Diet Pepsi: An Ecological Analysis of its Business Practices

This report provides a comprehensive ecological analysis of Diet Pepsi's business operations. It examines the environmental impact of the company, including its carbon footprint, water usage, and the use of materials like aluminum and plastic. The report highlights ecological liabilities such as the use of artificial sweeteners, which can contaminate water, and the impact of plastic bottle production. It also explores the company's efforts towards ecological friendliness, such as protecting global water supplies and supporting sustainable agriculture. Furthermore, the report assesses Diet Pepsi's potential to become a green business, suggesting the use of recycled water and recyclable containers. The analysis concludes with a discussion of the ecological liabilities faced by the enterprise, including health hazards associated with its ingredients. The report is supported by references to relevant literature on the topic.

RUNNING HEAD: ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF DIET PEPSI
Macro-Situation Ecology of Diet Pepsi
Student Name:
Student ID:
Subject Name:
Subject Code:
Date Due:
Professor Name:
1

RUNNING HEAD: ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF DIET PEPSI
1. Ecological Environment Impacting business
 The global business of PepsiCo sold across packaged bottles and cans might raise
some ecological concerns (Singh, 2016). In the US, the government has stringent
regulations impositions that businesses need to follow.
 There are regulations pertaining to usage of aluminum of the can, glass bottle that
creates carbon footprints, usage of water, plastic bottles that create wastes and
aspartame.
 The sweetener used in Diet Coke in the USA is manufactured from genetically altered
corn. Artificial sweeteners have capability to contaminate drinking water as they
cannot easily be removed from waste water.
 The plastic bottle that goes into manufacturing of bottles for Pepsi is done from
fossil-fuel. It has been estimated that 17 million barrels of oil is used every year in
manufacturing plastic bottles for Diet Pepsi.
 Moreover, considering the glass bottle weight, carrying them in transportation costs
significant carbon footprints. The US consumers barely recycle a quarter of glass
containers, though glass containers are infinitely recyclable.
 The can in which Diet Pepsi is sold the most is manufactured from virgin aluminum
that is environmentally destructive to mines. Further aluminum industry makes use of
electricity extensively and leaves toxic chemicals as residue from the metal produced.
The can lining includes packaging of bisphenol A (BPA) which can cause serious
ailments such as sexual development abnormalities, heart disease, cancer and other
serious health conditions. Further low doses of the chemical spurs cancer cell growth
in test animals, which other the serious impacts of the business.
2

RUNNING HEAD: ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF DIET PEPSI
 The manufacturing of Diet Pepsi requires extensive water usage; it operates in areas
where there is drought stricken also. The Company has to balance ecological
concerns so that it can conduct its business in a sustainable manner.
2. Ecological Friendliness of the Business
 The Company undertakes several ecological endeavors so, that it is being able to balance
off its negative ecological impacts that it creates. The ecological impact of the business
includes protecting and conserving in global water supplies (Shiva, 2016).
 The natural resources required to manufacture products of the Company which includes
water, has become limited. With increasing population, there is bound to be more
shortage of water and energy, which might lead to increase in GHG emissions. The
Company is incorporating measures such that they are able to overcome such negative
impacts from accelerated climate change and reducing impact on putting crop at a risk.
 In water stressed areas, the Company is providing access to safe drinking water. The
Company is also working towards reducing GHG emission.
 They are supporting sustainable agriculture through sharing and identifying of ideal
practices with farmers along with suppliers.
 The Company is innovating packaging for sustainable methods for eliminating solid
waste into landfills that has been generating from their production facilities.
3

RUNNING HEAD: ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF DIET PEPSI
3. Capability of the business to become a Green Business
 The Company possesses capabilities to transform itself to becoming a green business.
The Company can recycle water and re-use it for the purpose of manufacturing Diet
Pepsi. Making use of recycled water will reduce potential negative impact on water
stressed areas (Ehnert & Claes, 2014).
 The Company can make use of recyclable containers for the purpose of storing and
selling its product. Designing environmental safe containers can enable the Company to
becoming a green business. It can make use of sustainable energy generation technique
from wastes generated from its manufacturing facility. Methods to convert wastes into
energy will help resolving energy crisis faced at various places. Most importantly it will
allow creating an un-hindered manufacturing of electricity for carrying out product at its
plants.
 The Company can incorporate KPI (Key performance indicator) score for the purpose of
measuring its carbon footprints. Then monitoring in reducing such KPI will allow the
business overcome challenges and become a greener business in the future.
4. Ecological liabilities facing the Enterprise
 The current ecological liabilities of the business are tremendous in nature. In USA
environmental activists have criticized the business not only for its carbon footprints but
for other ecological challenges as well.
 The ecological liability on human life is tremendous as the component present in the Diet
Pepsi has been accused of having several health hazards. These health hazards can have
from short-term to longer term health impacts.
4

RUNNING HEAD: ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF DIET PEPSI
 The impact that is generated on the environment from manufacturing of Diet Pepsi is also
tremendous as the sweetener has been seen to be made from genetically altered corn.
Liability concerns regarding water are also rising within the enterprise as there is a
greater need to address them.
5

RUNNING HEAD: ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF DIET PEPSI
Reference Lists
Ehnert, I., & Claes, M. T. (2014). Global leadership for sustainable development. Global
leadership practices, 149-168. Retrieved on 12th September 2018, from
https://books.google.co.in/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=YUodBQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA149&dq=pepsi+ecological+impact&
ots=ApBtzKYd3Z&sig=c7hdBqzvKXTWgtFhd_IZZnXntCM#v=onepage&q=pepsi
%20ecological%20impact&f=false
Shiva, V. (2016). The violence of the green revolution: Third world agriculture, ecology, and
politics. University Press of Kentucky. Retrieved on 12th September 2018, from
https://books.google.co.in/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=Bf9hCwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=pepsi+ecological+impact&ots
=vy7dAG8F6G&sig=jq6xrATXNCLn6wXRuhSskD1Z40Q#v=onepage&q=pepsi
%20ecological%20impact&f=false
Singh, J. (2016). ENVIRONMENTAL ECOLOGY: PARALYZED THROUGH POLITICAL
AND ECONOMIC RE-MODIFICATIONS AND FIEFDOM. Retrieved on 12th
September 2018, from
https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/42486451/Environmental_Ecology_
1.pdf?
AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1536851749&Signature=
xL8OjVhBrNFCKFxfQKq%2BT7usmgw%3D&response-content-disposition=inline
%3B%20filename
%3DENVIRONMENTAL_ECOLOGY_PARALYZED_THROUGH.pdf
6