In a land policy that states its commitment to “doing business the right way,” PepsiCo has announced its support for the 'Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure' and its recognition of its obligations to respect and protect the rights of local people.
The Guidelines, which were initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), promote equitable access and secure ownership rights to fisheries, forests and land, with the aim of eradicating poverty and hunger, protecting the environment and supporting sustainable development.
15 April 2014: In a land policy that states its commitment to “doing business the right way,” PepsiCo has announced its support for the ‘Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure’ and its recognition of its obligations to respect and protect the rights of local people. The Guidelines, which were initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), promote equitable access and secure ownership rights to fisheries, forests and land, with the aim of eradicating poverty and hunger, protecting the environment and supporting sustainable development.
In its land policy, PepsiCo states that it “has zero tolerance for illegal activities in our supply chain and land displacements of any legitimate land tenure holders.” It commits to fair and legal negotiations on land acquisitions and transfer in developing countries, including the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) principles. It further commits to, inter alia: conducting environmental and social assessments across its global supply chains, beginning in Brazil; developing and maintaining a comprehensive map of its raw agricultural commodities supply chain; engaging with industry groups to positively impact and respect legitimate land tenure rights and the people who hold them; and encouraging its supplier countries to meet standards.
The Coca-Cola Company also made a commitment to protect community land rights, in November 2013. This commitment includes zero tolerance for land grabbing, which Coke will address through, inter alia: adhering to the FPIC principles and requiring its suppliers to adhere to this principle; joining the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO); committing to 100% sustainable sourcing of cane sugar by 2020; and encouraging the development of an industry-wide commitment on sustainable sugarcane. Coke will also work with Oxfam to conduct assessments on the world’s top sugarcane-producing regions, beginning in Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, India, the Philippines, Thailand and South Africa.
“Securing the official commitment and operational support of both PepsiCo and the Coca-Cola Company is tremendously significant for the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines and we hope that more large private companies will follow their lead,” said Marcela Villarreal, FAO. FAO is developing a private sector technical guide for implementing the Guidelines.
The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo also committed to increase their participation in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), which has endorsed the Guidelines. [UN Press Release] [FAO Press Release] [Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure] [PepsiCo Land Policy] [The Coca-Cola Company Commitment: Land Rights and Sugar] [CFS Website]