Data Science Associate Manager

PepsiCo launches Gatorade bottles made with advanced recycled PET from Eastman. Polyestertime June 9, 2026 PepsiCo launches Gatorade bottles made from hard-to-recycle plastic waste using advanced PET recycling. Advanced PET recycling. PepsiCo expands circular packaging strategy with advanced PET recycling technology. PepsiCo brings advanced recycled PET to Gatorade bottles. PepsiCo has introduced the first Gatorade bottles made with Eastman's PET Renew resin in the United States, marking a significant step in the company's efforts to increase the use of recycled materials in its packaging portfolio. The initiative follows a multi-year supply agreement between PepsiCo and Eastman, under which Eastman will provide PET Renew resin produced through an advanced recycling process. While the companies have not disclosed supply volumes, the partnership highlights growing industry interest in technologies capable of recovering materials that traditional recycling systems often cannot process. What is PET Renew? PET Renew is a recycled resin created from polyester-based waste streams that are typically difficult or impossible to recycle mechanically. These materials include: * End-of-life clothing and textiles * Carpet fibers * Plastic films * Colored and opaque PET containers * Mixed polyester waste Instead of being sent to landfills or incineration facilities, these materials can be transformed into new, high-quality PET suitable for food and beverage packaging applications. How advanced recycling works. Eastman's technology relies on a molecular recycling process known as methanolysis. During the process, polyester waste is broken down into its original molecular building blocks. These components are then purified and used to create new PET resin with properties comparable to virgin material. Unlike conventional mechanical recycling, which can be limited by contamination, color, or material degradation, advanced recycling can process a broader range of polyester waste streams while maintaining high material quality. This approach allows manufacturers to recover value from materials that would otherwise be excluded from existing recycling systems. Complementing traditional recycling. Industry experts increasingly view advanced recycling as a complementary solution rather than a replacement for mechanical recycling. Mechanical recycling remains the preferred option for clean and easily sortable PET waste. However, large volumes of plastic packaging and polyester products cannot currently be recycled through traditional methods due to technical limitations. By addressing these hard-to-recycle materials, advanced recycling technologies can help expand the overall recycling ecosystem and support higher circularity rates across the packaging sector. According to PepsiCo, the goal is not to replace existing recycling infrastructure but to increase the number of materials that can be returned to productive use. Turning waste into food-grade packaging. One of the most notable aspects of the project is the diversity of feedstocks used to produce PET Renew. Materials such as discarded textiles, old carpets, plastic films, and colored plastic containers can be converted into food-contact-approved packaging materials. This creates a pathway for waste streams that have historically had limited recycling options. advanced PET recycling The resulting resin can be used to manufacture beverage bottles that meet demanding quality and safety requirements while reducing dependence on virgin fossil-based resources. Eastman expands recycling capacity. To support growing demand for advanced recycled materials, Eastman continues to invest in large-scale recycling infrastructure. Its molecular recycling facility in Kingsport, Tennessee, has been operating commercially for approximately two years and serves as a key production hub for PET Renew resin. The company has also announced plans for additional facilities in France and Texas, aimed at increasing processing capacity and expanding access to advanced recycling technologies in major markets. These investments reflect broader industry expectations that advanced recycling will play an increasingly important role in future circular economy strategies. Growing demand for circular packaging solutions. Consumer brands worldwide are under increasing pressure to reduce packaging waste, improve recycled content usage, and meet ambitious sustainability targets. As regulatory requirements evolve and demand for recycled materials continues to grow, technologies capable of recovering previously unrecyclable waste are attracting greater attention from manufacturers and policymakers alike. The PepsiCo-Eastman collaboration demonstrates how advanced recycling can contribute to creating new sources of recycled content while supporting the transition toward more circular packaging systems. Challenges remain. Despite its potential, advanced recycling is not considered a standalone solution to the global plastic waste challenge. Industry stakeholders continue to emphasize the importance of improving collection systems, strengthening sorting infrastructure, increasing consumer participation in recycling programs, and designing packaging for recyclability from the outset. A truly circular economy will require multiple technologies working together, including reuse systems, mechanical recycling, advanced recycling, and material innovation. Outlook. The introduction of Gatorade bottles made with PET Renew resin represents an important milestone in the evolution of sustainable packaging. By transforming difficult-to-recycle polyester waste into high-quality food-grade PET, PepsiCo and Eastman are demonstrating how advanced recycling technologies can help unlock new sources of recycled material and support long-term circularity goals. As investment in recycling infrastructure continues to grow, projects like this could play an increasingly significant role in reducing waste, conserving resources, and reshaping the future of packaging.

PepsiCo selects two Australian startups for 2026 APAC accelerator. PepsiCo has selected Australian startups Adiona Tech and X-Centric Sciences for its 2026 APAC Greenhouse Program. Two Australian startups have been selected for the latest edition of PepsiCo's grant- based accelerator program, the 2026 APAC Greenhouse Program: The IMPACT Edition, as the global food and beverage giant looks to scale sustainability technologies across its supply chain. Sydney-based companies Adiona Tech and X-Centric Sciences will join PepsiCo's 2026 Greenhouse Program cohort, which will run for seven months and is designed to help scale proven sustainability solutions from startups. The program, which has now entered its fourth year, connects startups with cross-functional PepsiCo mentors and an expanded partner network to help them progress from proof-of-concept to real-world implementation. Last year also saw two Aussie startups, Endua and Calyx.eco, join the program. This year, the program has shifted its focus from pilot programs to placing proven solutions into PepsiCo's day-to-day Asia Pacific operations, with the potential to expand globally. The 2026 cohort includes five Greenhouse Program alumni bringing together solutions spanning logistics efficiency, sustainable agriculture, emissions reduction and circular systems. Get the best of Startup Daily straight to your inbox. * indicates required AI-powered logistics optimisation platform Adiona Tech, which was recently awarded a $1.8 million CRC-P grant and signed a deal with Australia Post's same-day delivery service StarTrack, was part of the program's 2023 cohort. Adiona worked with PepsiCo to scope a pilot focused on decarbonising Scope 1 and 3 delivery fleets, including discussions around operational deployment opportunities. The 2023 program also enabled the startup to identify multiple cross-functional teams and regional markets within PepsiCo that could benefit from Adiona's AI-powered route optimisation and fleet electrification solutions. Digital soil analytics platform X-Centric Sciences, which is disrupting soil testing with an accurate, low-cost characterisation tool now deployed from Illinois to Ukraine, where seven million hectares of war-contaminated land are being assessed for recovery, is a 2024 alumnus. The startup also participated in the Cicada x Tech 23 deep tech startup showcase in Sydney last year. Adiona Tech. Adiona Tech CEO and co-founder Richard Savoie says the startup plans to build on its initial participation in 2023 and continue exploring opportunities identified during the first program. "The IMPACT Edition is an amazing initiative from PepsiCo to revisit past participants, as the timeline for working with corporations can be long, so this edition really demonstrates PepsiCo's support for startups beyond an initial accelerator cycle and helping explore pathways towards real-world implementation," he says. Savoie says Adiona's purpose is to optimise delivery operations for last-mile logistics businesses. "This can help support cost savings, reduced fuel consumption, faster deliveries and lower greenhouse gas emissions, offering the potential to deliver both commercial and environmental benefits," he says. "The alignment with PepsiCo is really clear to us as they run their own supply chain, and the program is focused on optimising the supply chain at every step, including delivery." Savoie added Adiona's hyper-focused team of six was excited and surprised to be invited back to the program. X-Centric Sciences. X-Centric Sciences co-founder and CEO Roozbeh Ravansari says the company sees the 2026 Greenhouse Program as a natural progression of its relationship with PepsiCo. "Following our participation in the 2024 edition, we have continued collaborating closely, tailoring our solution to support integration into relevant operational workflows," he says. "Our participation in this edition is a tremendous validation of the market pull for our product, providing encouraging validation that our solution is addressing a significant industry challenge." Ravansari says X-Centric's purpose is to facilitate a more efficient, sustainable and resilient agricultural system driven by better soil measurement for people, planet and profit. "We do this with our portable multimodal AI-enabled hardware, leveraging X-rays for instant geochemical insights spanning beyond carbon, aimed at delivering a more comprehensive soil analysis," he says. X-Centric Sciences' most significant milestone following its participation in the 2024 PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator was successfully raising a $600,000 funding round. Ravansari credited the program's validation, network and support with playing a critical role in helping secure that investment. "Building on that momentum, we are now looking to leverage PepsiCo's strategic network and the IMPACT Edition to accelerate commercial discussions, close our upcoming funding round, and secure key commercial contracts that drive scalable revenue generation," he says. With Adiona Tech and X-Centric Sciences both at critical inflection points in their growth, the IMPACT edition will help both startups with faster feasibility assessments, coordinated decision-making and fewer barriers between a promising solution and a signed commercial agreement. PepsiCo's 2026 APAC Greenhouse Program will culminate in a regional showcase in October, where startups will share progress and explore further commercial opportunities.

I tried out Pepsi's new ice cream-inspired flavour drinks. Nowadays, you can get a huge and bizarre variety of flavours of soft drinks, and Pepsi has added to its options with the launch of the Ice Cream Zero Sugar Flavour range. The new cola flavours include Cherry & Vanilla, Raspberry Ripple and Salted Caramel. This comes as an expansion of Pepsi's Treats range, following the launch of Strawberries & Cream and Cream Soda flavours last year. Natalia Fillipociants, SVP and General Manager Europe International Beverages at PepsiCo, said: "Our new ice cream-inspired flavours are made to be a fun, zero-sugar summer treat that's a little unexpected in the best way. "We hope people enjoy cracking one open, trying something different, and making it their go-to refreshment this summer". The new flavours are set to launch exclusively in Tesco from Monday, May 18, with the Cherry & Vanilla and Raspberry Ripple options rolling out nationwide from Tuesday, July 14. I got the chance to try the new flavours out ahead of their official release, but are they worth having? I tried out Pepsi's new ice cream-flavoured drinks range. When the drinks were delivered, they were packaged in individual ice cream tubs, which I thought was a nice touch. The Pepsi drinks arrived inside ice cream tubs (Image: Newsquest) Additionally, the Pepsi logo was designed to appear as if it were on top of an ice cream cone on the can. After letting the drinks chill in the fridge for a few hours, I poured the cans out into glasses. Unlike the flavour choices, there were no unusual colours here, just the regular cola shade. However, what was apparent was the smell of the drinks, with the Raspberry Ripple one in particular having the strongest scent. They'd done a decent job in making the drinks actually smell like their flavour, but how would the taste stack up? All the drinks tasted and smelled like the intended flavours (Image: Newsquest) First of all, I tried the Cherry & Vanilla flavour, which was quite pleasant. I'm already a fan of cherry cola as it is, so this was pretty similar to that, and I could have no issue drinking that on the regular. Next up was Raspberry Ripple, and like its smell, the taste was very strong too. I found this to be perfectly acceptable, but I would probably go for other flavours of cola before picking out this one. The flavour I was most curious to try was the Salted Caramel, which I can't say I've ever come across before in drink form. The Salted Caramel flavour was an interesting experiment (Image: Newsquest) I'll give it credit in that it manages to combine the rich, velvety taste of caramel with a slight hint of saltiness. However, I did find it a bit too sickly, and I can't see myself returning to buying this particular one. Recommended reading: The verdict. Overall, the Cherry & Vanilla flavour was a standout to me, and it's definitely one I will be keeping an eye out for when it hits stores. Meanwhile, the Raspberry Ripple was perfectly fine, and I can imagine this being quite a popular choice. However, the Salted Caramel was a brave experiment, but it wasn't something I thought was entirely successful. Will you be trying the new Pepsi ice cream-flavoured drinks? Let us know in the comments.