The LEED-EB Gold-certified Frito-Lay North America headquarters

PLANO, TX — The Frito-Lay North America headquarters was recently awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) certification at the Gold level from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and had the designation verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), according to Reuters.

According to the story, the Frito-Lay North America headquarters is the only existing building in the state of Texas to receive this distinction and one of only 12 corporate headquarters to receive this distinction nationally.

To achieve LEED-EB certification, Frito-Lay's sustainability strategy included implementing a number of green design and construction features, water reduction technologies and practices, as well as improved waste management, the story stated.

Rick Fedrizzi, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the USGBC, said: "With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC's vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation. As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, Frito-Lay is an important addition to the growing strength of the green building movement."

Sustainable features of the facility include: A solar thermal water heating system that reduces energy consumption by 130,000 kilowatt hours (KWH) and eliminates more than 154,000 pounds of greenhouse gases; using native plants in landscaping and retrofitting low-flow fixtures to drastically reduce water consumption; and implementing a recycling program that diverts 70 percent of waste from landfills, the story noted.

Frito-Lay has also increased employee education efforts to teach best practices for cleaning, maintenance and energy consumption, the story added.

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