Earlier this month, Plano-based Frito-Lay set a target of achieving its sustainability goals by 2025. Its new greenhouse is currently focused on producing 100% at-home compostable chip bags.
Frito-Lay and Quaker unveiled their new Greenhouse Learning Center at their R&D headquarters, which will serve as a testing ground for compostable packaging. By analyzing and measuring the effectiveness of these materials, the center aims to accelerate innovation in this area.
"Our sustainable packaging vision is to build a world where packaging need never becomes waste," said Denise Lefebvre, senior vice president of R&D for PepsiCo. "We're actively changing our own compostable snack packaging technologies. By sharing these technologies, we're inviting the industry to make these changes as well. We are prioritizing, investing in and expediting projects to build a more circular, inclusive economy."
The R&D packaging team will conduct tests on the biodegradation properties of compostable packages under various conditions. The goal is to expedite the learning process, validate lab findings through simultaneous real-time experiments, improve packaging formulations and iterate packaging solutions faster.
The initiative is a step towards fulfilling the PepsiCo Positive (pep+) packaging goal of ensuring that 100% of the company's packaging is recyclable, compostable, biodegradable or reusable by 2025.
"We look forward to leveraging key findings from the Greenhouse Learning Center, alongside our scale, reach, and expertise across North America and globally, to drive progress across our organization and the entire industry," said David Allen, chief sustainability officer, Frito-Lay and Quaker. "We must work together to inspire positive change for the planet and people, and Frito-Lay and Quaker are proud to be leading the way."
After gaining insights from the launch of Off The Eaten Path's latest commercially compostable packaging, the company unveiled new packaging alternatives that are composed of 85% renewable plant materials and emit approximately 60% fewer greenhouse gases compared to traditional snack bags.
