Compostable SunChips bags part of green packaging trend

NEW YORK -- Have a snack. Then feed the earth. That's what chip munchers will be able to do when Frito-Lay introduces what it says will be "the world's first compostable chip bag" by Earth Day 2010.

The snack maker is rolling out a media campaign this month touting that it has taken the first step toward creating an environmentally friendly pouch for SunChips, a multigrain product that is already associated with healthier snacking.

And, Jones says, "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."

Supermarket shelves are currently being filled with new 10.5-ounce SunChips bags with an outer layer made of plant-based polylactic acid (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.

In a nation where "organic" and "fair trade" have become part of the lexicon, packaging experts and environmental advocates say companies such as Frito-Lay have realized the importance of showing they are helping to preserve the environment, whether it's reducing the fuel used to make and transport their products or altering the type of packaging that coffee, cold cuts or conditioner comes in.

A January report by The Hartman Group, a market researcher, found that packaging was key for consumers who are concerned about the environment.

"It was almost like a marker or indicator as to how good or bad a company may be," says Laurie Demeritt, the agency's president. "And in most cases, when they thought about packaging (they asked), 'What can happen to it after I get it home? Is it recyclable? Is it biodegradable?' "

Of the 1,600 people surveyed for the report, 75% said it was at least somewhat important that packaging be recyclable, while 51% felt it was at least somewhat important that it be compostable, meaning it breaks down with the presence of oxygen and water.