Frito-Lay to launch the First Fully Compostable Snack Chip Bag

Convex Plastics, June 13th, 2009

Frito-Lay North America – PepsiCo’s $11 billion convenient foods business unit - will be launching the world’s first fully compostable snack chip bags made from plant-based materials for their popular line of SunChips multi-grain snacks.
 
The plan is to have the SunChips bags 100 percent compostable by Earth Day 2010. The bags will be made from corn-based polylactic acid (PLA) to help keep petroleum-based packaging out of landfills.

PLA film, which is marketed by Convex Plastics as NatureWorks, behaves exactly like organic waste when disposed, taking about 14 weeks to disintegrate in a properly managed compost pile.

As a first step, Frito-Lay North America is already selling 10.5-ounce SunChips bags that are one-third compostable with an outer layer made of PLA. Researchers now are focusing on making the inside of the pouches, including the critical layer that keeps the chips crisp and fresh, eco-friendly as well.

“We know environmentally-friendly packaging is a priority for our SunChips consumer,” said Gannon Jones, vice president, marketing, Frito-Lay North America. "When it comes to the environment ... far and away, consumers would say if there's one thing that you could improve, it would be your packaging."

Jay Gehring, vice president, packaging R&D, Frito-Lay North America says, “To make packaging that would interact differently in the environment, we had to change the composition of packaging and invent key technologies. Using plant-based renewable materials, we have a promising solution that will transform packaging and significantly impact the billions of snack food bags produced annually.”

Convex Managing Director, Owen Embling says PLA as a great eco-friendly replacement for polyester. It is stiff and clear and ideal for salad bags, snack bags and lidding stocks.
Owen says, “PLA currently does have some strength limitations but it’s perfect for some applications. The only way to know if PLA is suitable for a specific application is to talk to us and trial it.”