Frito-Lay plant in Modesto pledged to go lighter on the planet. See how it’s doing
Frito-Lay reports that its Modesto chip plant has cut climate-changing emissions in half since 2019, and could approach zero by year’s end.
The company has switched from diesel to electricity or natural gas for 59 trucks and forklifts, a news release said. Another 15 electric semis from Tesla could join them by the end of 2021, completing the fleet’s makeover. And solar panels now supply all of the electricity for the plant, up from about 50%
The upshot: Less guilt for consumers about the effect on the planet as their Cheetos, Doritos, Ruffles and other products are made and shipped.
The plant employs about 760 people on Garner Road in the Beard Industrial District, turning out about 162 million pounds of products each year.
Frito-Lay covered half of the $30.8 million cost with a grant from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
“We applaud the progress Frito-Lay has achieved thus far with its Modesto site project ...,” said Sydney Vergis, chief of the Mobile Source Control Division at the California Air Resources Board. It helped arrange the grant.
The effort launched in October 2019 at the 500,000-square-foot plant. It is one of several around the nation where Frito-Lay makes its many flavors of potato and corn chips, along with multi-grain SunChips.
The new vehicles include:
- 38 Volvo tractor-trailers fueled by compressed natural gas for local and regional hauling. This gas still contains carbon but is more climate-friendly than other fossil fuels.
- 12 electric forklifts made by Crown Equipment
- Six electric box trucks from Peterbilt
- Three electric trucks from BYD Motors for use in the plant yard.
Frito-Lay also installed a CNG fueling station for the vehicles, and batteries to store the solar electricity. The power comes from panels on the site, as well as from outside producers through Frito-Lay’s purchase of renewable energy credits.
The work so far has brought a 53% drop in emissions of carbon and other climate-changing emissions, said Steve Hanson, senior director of fleet operations, engineering and sustainability for Frito-Lay. They will get close to zero but not vanish entirely because CNG has some carbon content.
Frito-Lay also has cut diesel use by 78% and will use none of this fuel once the electric semis are in use, Hanson said.
Frito-Lay is based in Plano, Texas. It is part of PepsiCo, which makes sodas and many other products and is based in Purchase, N.Y.
“Frito-Lay and PepsiCo are dedicated to reducing our environmental impact, especially in the more than 200 communities where we operate,” Hanson said.
The Modesto plant opened in 1990. It has made previous efforts at saving energy and water and reducing landfill-bound waste. In 2008, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger helped unveil a system using sunlight to heat the SunChip cooking oil.
