Last Updated:
11/8/20 10:05 AM
overall rating:
keep going
PepsiCo
Internal Representation & Support
68%
Public Commitment
65%
External Communication
62%
To evaluate this pillar, we take into consideration a range of factors, including but not limited to:
- Employee representation
- Diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI)
We weigh a company’s degree of public commitment primarily on their monetary contributions to DEI matters or organizations fighting racial injustice.
Forms of monetary support we look for:
One-off donations
Recurring donations
Grant initiatives
Employee donation matching
Highlights
In November 2020, Pepsi hosted an HBCU marching band experience (in partnership with iHeartRadio and YouTube). Pepsi in general has also been extremely specific about their need to improve internally, as well as what specific calls-to-action they will take to combat racism within their organization.
Lowlights
Pepsi did not change its racist Aunt Jemima branding until being prompted to in 2020. In addition, Pepsi's problematic Kendall Jenner commercial in 2017 has been accused of trivializing the Black Lives Matter movement. On social media, Pepsi has dedicated very little of their content to posting about their support for Black Lives Matter.
We scour the company’s website and official social media channels to determine what message they are sending around racial injustice, how they are communicating it, and whether their communications are perceived as genuine or performative.
Public statement: We verify that companies have made a formal statement regarding racial injustice.
Social media: We consider how a company uses their platform(s) beyond performative allyship.
Representation: For companies that have the opportunity to showcase diversity in their feed, we consider whether they have adequate Black representation and BIPOC representation across their models.
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Deep Dive
I. Internal Representation & Support:
Board of Directors:
> 15% Black, 21% - 25% BIPOC, 21% - 25% Women
Executive Leadership:
10% - 11% Black, 16% - 20% BIPOC, 11% - 20% Women
14% - 15% Black, 36% - 40% BIPOC, 36% - 40% Women
Workforce:
An appointed DEI senior leader and/or a dedicated DEI organization, A Black employee resource group
DEI Support:
II. Public Commitment
PepsiCo has pledged a donation of 0.01% - 0.09% of annual revenue towards racial injustice, specifically for Black lives. Additionally, PepsiCo has engaged in actions that advance racial justice and/or uplift BIPOC communities, such as partnerships with nonprofits or mission-based organizations, sponsorship of individuals who use their platform to speak out on racial injustice, sponsorship of events, and matching donations to a broad range of qualifying organizations. PepsiCo is also an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and people living with disabilities.
III. External Communications
PepsiCo has issued a public statement, both on social media and in a public memo, addressing racial injustice The public statement acknowledged that they can be doing better to combat racial inequality within their company, included specific calls to action, and explicitly stated "Black Lives Matter." Since June 2020, 10% - 20% of the brand's social media content has been centered around racial injustice with posts seeming performative in nature. While the brand does not regularly feature models in their social media posts, there is little to no evidence of additional actions the brand takes to show support of the LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities.
