Suntory PepsiCo marks 30 years of investment and sustainable development in Vietnam

The company has undertaken various public-private partnership with the Vietnamese government to boost Vietnam’s sustainability prospects

2024 marked Suntory PepsiCo’s 30-year anniversary in Vietnam. In 1994, it was among the first foreign companies in the country, marking the beginning of its expansion in one of the fast-growing markets in the region.

During this journey, the company has accompanied Vietnam by continuously bolstering investments and scaling up business and production. From the first flagship products, Pepsi and 7UP, the company’s product portfolio has evolved significantly to 13 diverse brands, serving millions of Vietnamese consumers annually and maintaining the leading position in the beverage industry for over 20 years.

At the same time, Suntory PepsiCo is running six factories in Can Tho, Dong Nai, Hoc Mon, Quang Nam, Bac Ninh, and the upcoming Long An plant, creating employment for nearly 3,000 direct employees and thousands of indirect workers. Thanks to the positive contribution to the state budget and the localities where factories operate, the company has been named among the top 100 largest taxpayers in Vietnam for eight consecutive years.

The main pillars of development

Sustainable development lies at the heart of Suntory PepsiCo’s operations to bring sustainable values to the community and shape a better Vietnam. The company is committed to supporting the government’s sustainable development goals by resolving pressing environmental, social, and community problems.

Suntory PepsiCo’s strategy is based on six key pillars that benefit people and the planet, including creating positive impact on water resources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, using sustainable packaging, taking care of consumers’ and employees’ health, cultivating a diversity, equity, and inclusion environment, and enriching the community’s lives.

To protect the environment, the firm has adopted a two-fold approach to conserve water resources in Vietnam. First, the company optimises water use within its plants through a close-looped process and water circularity while increasingly slashing water use for production. In 2024, about 332,000 cu.m of water were saved across the company’s manufacturing activities, equivalent to an annual water usage of 4,500 households.

Second, the company actively regenerates groundwater and replenishes water back to nature by implementing forest planting initiatives in watershed areas nationwide in public-private partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. So far, 200 hectares of trees have been planted in Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, and Nghe An.

Not only advancing its commitment to water stewardship in the present, Suntory PepsiCo also pays attention to water sustainability in the future. Since 2015, the water education programme “Mizuiku - I love clean water” has been carried out in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education and Training to foster the awareness and love among the young generation towards water conservation. This initiative reached 500,000 students in 2024, raising the total number of students benefiting from the scheme to 900,000.

As the government remains resolute in achieving its net-zero goal by 2050, Suntory PepsiCo is advancing a roadmap to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across its manufacturing and supply chain. The company has taken drastic measures to convert from fossil fuels to renewable energy across its plants, making a significant contribution to lowering emissions. Today, all of them have installed biomass systems in a bid for greener production.

An on-going journey

Suntory PepsiCo’s commitment to sustainability is reflected in its packaging. The company has pioneered reductions in the use of virgin plastic used, introducing packaging made from 100 per cent rPET and using education to change community behaviour to boost waste collection and recycling.

In 2022, it became the first beverage company in Vietnam to launch a rPET Pepsi bottle, followed by the Oolong TEA+ in 2023. Such initiatives helped the company reduce 5,000 tonnes of virgin plastic used in packaging annually, equal to a reduction of 23,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.

Do Thai Vuong, vice president of Corporate Affairs at Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam said, “Sustainable development is a journey with no destination that requires collaboration and innovation. We are committed to taking action and creating scalable models, thereby making a positive impact on the community and the environment. We are proud to accompany the Vietnamese government to create shared values, have a far-reaching impact, and inspire people to join hands in building a better future.”

Another highlight is active engagement with the community. Guided by its core value of giving back to society, Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam has made efforts to enrich the lives of Vietnamese through a slew of initiatives to foster culture, sports, and community.

Helping Hands is a charity scheme initiated by employees a decade ago to build “Happy Schools” nationwide. In the last two years, five such schools have been built and renovated for 5,000 teachers and students nationwide. Another initiative called “Bring Tet Home” aims to support the underprivileged people’s reunion during the Lunar New Year. As part of this programme, 16,000 tickets have been given to disadvantaged students and workers to travel to their hometowns since 2020.

Meanwhile, the Golf Friendship Tournament creates a platform to share values and support paediatric cancer patients. As of 2024, 430 paediatric cancer patients have received assistance.

To boost community’s health, the company has innovated its products with more healthy beverage options. This is coupled with cultivating an inclusive environment for employees. At Suntory PepsiCo, women hold 36 per cent of leadership positions. This is part of the diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy across the company, which aims to empower women, nurture talent, and build a diverse working environment that’s key to the company’s sustainable development.

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