Frito-Lay's Brand Package to Use Compostable Bag
SunChips, Frito-Lay's line of multigrain snacks, will introduce the first fully compostable snack chip bag made from plant-based materials in 2010. The change is designed to significantly improve the environmental impact of its packaging.
This month, the SunChips brand is taking the first step toward this transformational packaging. The outer layer of packaging on 10 ½-oz. size snack bags will be made with a compostable, plant-based renewable material, polylactic acid (PLA). By Earth Day 2010, PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America division plans to roll out a package where all layers are made from PLA material so the package is 100 percent compostable.
Current snack food packaging has three layers: a printed outer layer with packaging visuals/graphics, an inner layer, which serves as a barrier to maintain the quality and integrity of the product, and a middle layer that joins the other two layers. When the packaging is 100 percent compostable, it will fully decompose in about 14 weeks when placed in a hot, active compost pile or bin. NatureWorks LLC is providing the PLA, which is trademarked under the Ingeo name.