PepsiCo accelerates degradable packaging trials
On April 4, two of PepsiCo's brands, Frito-Lay and Quaker, announced the opening of an industry-leading Greenhouse Learning Center at its R&D headquarters. The learning center will be used to test, measure and analyze compostable packaging on-site to accelerate the pace of innovation. The facility is a major milestone toward the company's PepsiCo Positive (pep+) packaging goal of designing 100 percent of its packaging to be recyclable, compostable, biodegradable or reusable by 2025.
“Our vision for sustainable packaging is a world where packaging never becomes waste,” said Denise Lefebvre, senior vice president of research and development at PepsiCo. “We are actively transforming our own compostable snack packaging technologies. By sharing these technologies, We invite industry to make these changes too. We are prioritizing, investing in and accelerating projects to build a more circular, inclusive economy."
The R&D packaging team will use the Greenhouse Learning Center to test the biodegradability of compostable packaging in different environments to accelerate learning, verify laboratory results through simultaneous real-time experiments, improve packaging formulations, and iterate packaging solutions faster.
The research and development teams at Frito-Lay and Quaker have been conducting research and forming strategic partnerships for many years to improve the packaging process. Since launching the first commercially available 100% compostable potato chip bags in 2010, Frito-Lay and Quaker's compostable packaging has continued to evolve.
"We look forward to leveraging the key findings from the Greenhouse Learning Center, along with our scale, reach and expertise in North America and globally, to drive progress across our organization and across the industry," said Frito-Lay and Quaker Chief Sustainability Officer David Allen.
"Together we must work to inspire positive change for the planet and people, and Frito-Lay and Quaker are proud to be leading the way."
Building on knowledge gained from the launch of the next generation of commercially compostable packaging from Off The Eaten Path, the company has introduced additional options made from 85% renewable plant-based materials that emit about 30% fewer greenhouse gases (GHG) than traditional snacks. 60%. Going forward, the company will focus on home-compostable packaging and biodegradable packaging, and in this regard, the research carried out at the Greenhouse Learning Center will be very important.
