FCA US Belvidere Assembly Plant Teams Up with PepsiCo Recycling to Increase Recycling Effort While Supporting Disabled Veterans

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Nov 10, 2015, 11:30 ET

BELVIDERE, Ill., Nov. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Partnership encourages plant employees in Illinois to make an impact through simple act of recycling beverage containers
Recycling initiative helps support program that teaches disabled U.S. veterans about small business management
FCA US has long history of supporting the military

As the nation pauses to honor its veterans on Nov. 11, the FCA US Belvidere Assembly Plant (Ill.), with assistance from PepsiCo Recycling, is launching a new program that will not only make recycling more convenient for its employees, but also help support disabled U.S. veterans.

Through the PepsiCo Recycling program, new recycling bins have been located in high traffic areas throughout the Belvidere plant. The materials collected in PepsiCo Recycling bins, including recyclables from Belvidere, help support PepsiCo Recycling's partnership with the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV), which provides training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 veterans with disabilities. PepsiCo has donated $1.5 million to EBV since 2010.

"In a plant with nearly 4,500 employees that runs six days a week, we knew we were putting thousands of recyclable cans and bottles into trash containers destined for landfills each day and were looking for a way to change that behavior," said Michael Keefe, Belvidere's Environment Lead. "Through the partnership with PepsiCo Recycling and with the support of our UAW partners, our employees can feel like they are making a real difference in our environment and giving back to those who gave so much to protect our way of life."

With only 12 percent of public space currently offering beverage container recycling solutions, the partnership between the Belvidere plant and PepsiCo is an important step in increasing the availability of recycling at the plant and engaging employees, of whom 8 percent are veterans themselves, to be part of this initiative.

"We are thrilled to partner with the Belvidere Assembly Plant to make recycling beverage containers a more convenient and accessible process for everyone," said Tim Carey, PepsiCo Senior Director of Sustainability. "The small act of recycling in a PepsiCo Recycling bin can make a big impact."

The PepsiCo Recycling program has introduced thousands of new recycling solutions to high-traffic retail locations, colleges and universities, K-12 schools and other organizations across North America.

The Belvidere campaign aligns with the overall sustainability goals of FCA US to minimize its impact on the global environment, while also continuing its long history of supporting the military, dating back to World War I. Most recently, the Company joined forces with the Prestige Group Co., based in Clinton Township, Mich., to help returning war veterans and active-duty military personnel obtain internship positions at FCA US while they finish their degrees. Additionally, FCA US offers a $500 cash allowance to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families on all eligible new 2015 and 2016 Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and FIAT models.

About the FCA US Belvidere Assembly Plant
Construction of the plant, located about 60 miles west of Chicago, began in 1964. The first car rolled off the line in July 1965. Over the years, the Belvidere plant has built Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth and Jeep models, including the Plymouth Horizon and Dodge Omni, Chrysler New Yorker, Dodge Dynasty, Chrysler Imperial, Plymouth and Dodge Neon, and Dodge Caliber. The plant currently builds the Dodge Dart, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot with three crews, each working four 10-hour days on two shifts, six days a week.

Belvidere's new body shop, constructed in 2011, was awarded a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Green Building System certification for meeting the highest environmental standards in April 2015. LEED, administered by the United States Green Building Council, is a comprehensive system to define, measure and validate green buildings. Certification in the national recognition program is based on strict standards in five key areas: site planning, water management, energy, material use and indoor environmental quality.

About PepsiCo Recycling
The PepsiCo Recycling initiative, introduced on Earth Day 2010, brings innovative recycling solutions to colleges and universities, K-12 schools, gas stations and popular retail locations across North America with the goal of increasing the U.S. beverage container recycling rate to 50 percent by 2018. With programs including Dream Machine container collections and Recycle Rallies, and the help of many strategic partners, students and public citizens alike, PepsiCo is well on its way to achieving its goal. To learn more, please visit PepsiCoRecycling.com.

About FCA US LLC
FCA US LLC is a North American automaker with a new name and a long history. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, FCA US is a member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies. FCA US designs, engineers, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT brands as well as the SRT performance vehicle designation. The company also distributes the Alfa Romeo 4C model and Mopar products. FCA US is building upon the historic foundations of Chrysler, the innovative American automaker first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925; and Fiat, founded in Italy in 1899 by pioneering entrepreneurs, including Giovanni Agnelli.

FCA, the seventh-largest automaker in the world based on total annual vehicle sales, is an international automotive group. FCA is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FCAU" and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol "FCA."

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