FSC US Announces $100,000 Investment from PepsiCo to Launch Responsible Forestry Accelerator in Collaboration with WWF

ATLANTA, GA, UNITED STATES, May 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Forest Stewardship Council^® US (FSC^® US) today announced a $100,000 investment from PepsiCo to support the launch of the Responsible Forestry Accelerator, a new pilot initiative developed in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to accelerate responsible forest management and expand access to FSC certification in the U.S. Southeast.

The Responsible Forestry Accelerator aims to advance 50,000 acres of FSC US forest management certification in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi by the end of 2026. The pilot will test and refine certification pathways, engage suppliers and landowners, and explore climate-related benefits of FSC certification, while laying the groundwork to scale to 1 million acres of certified forestland throughout the U.S. Southeast by 2028.

This collaborative effort brings together FSC US’s certification expertise, WWF’s long-standing leadership in forest conservation and corporate engagement, and PepsiCo’s ambitions on responsible sourcing, which it implements in part via participation in WWF’s Forests Forward corporate engagement program. The pilot will leverage group forest management certificate holders, forest owners, demand-side companies and other partners to remove financial and technical barriers that often prevent forest owners from pursuing certification—enabling durable, landscape-scale impact.

“Supporting the Responsible Forestry Accelerator is an important step to help advance our responsible sourcing priorities,” said Burgess Davis, Chief Sustainability Officer, PepsiCo North America. “Through pep+ (PepsiCo Positive), we’re working to source key ingredients and materials in line with our Sustainable Sourcing Guidelines and our global goal to spread regenerative agriculture, restorative and protective practices, across millions of acres worldwide. Collaborations like this can help strengthen supply chain resilience while supporting forests and the communities connected to them.”

“This investment reflects the growing urgency to translate corporate forest goals into measurable, on-the-ground outcomes,” said Sarah Billig, president of FSC US. “Through the Responsible Forestry Accelerator Pilot, we are building practical, scalable pathways to FSC certification that support landowners, strengthen rural economies, and deliver meaningful benefits for forests, climate, and communities. Partnerships with organizations like PepsiCo and WWF are essential to achieving impact at the scale the moment demands.”

The U.S. Southeast is one of the most biologically diverse and economically significant forest regions in the country, critically important for companies seeking credible solutions to mitigate nature and climate risk within their supply chains.

“We are excited to collaborate with FSC US and PepsiCo on the Responsible Forestry Accelerator Pilot, which we believe can help strengthen supply chain resilience and deliver real benefits for people, nature, and climate in this important region,” said Kerry Cesareo, senior vice president for forests and freshwater at WWF. “We’re further encouraged by the discussions underway with other companies that are committed to responsible forestry and communities.”

PepsiCo’s investment underscores the role that leading global brands can play in accelerating responsible forestry by pairing sourcing ambitions with targeted, place-based action. Insights and lessons learned from the pilot will inform future expansion and replication, helping to remove systemic barriers to certification and enable long-term forest protection at scale.

About Forest Stewardship Council US
The Forest Stewardship Council, the world’s most trusted forest certification, is an in-dependent nonprofit organization that promotes environmentally sound, socially beneficial, and economically prosperous management of forests. FSC was created in 1993 to set the standards by which forests are certified, offering assurance to consumers and businesses that the wood products they buy originate from well-managed forests. FSC certification helps protect forests, wildlife, workers, and Indigenous rights while supporting sustainable supply chains. More than 3,000 companies and over 36 million acres of forestland are FSC-certified in the United States. For more information, visit www.us.fsc.org.

About World Wildlife Fund
For nearly 65 years, WWF has been protecting the future of nature. The world’s leading conservation organization, WWF works in 100 countries and is supported by nearly 1 million supporters in the United States and more than 5 million globally. WWF's unique way of working combines global reach with a foundation in science, involves action at every level from local to global, and ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature. For more information, visit https://www.worldwildlife.org/our-work/.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $94 billion in net revenue in 2025, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and drinks, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that places sustainability at the center of our business strategy, seeking to drive growth and build a stronger, more resilient future for PepsiCo and the communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.

Shawn Collier
Forest Stewardship Council - US
+1 713-582-9497
email us here

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