PepsiCo UK Mulls Potato Skins for Packaging

LEICESTER, United KingdomAs part of its commitment to reducing its impact on the environment, PepsiCo UK is investigating the viability of new compostable packaging made from renewable resources rather than plastic for its Walkers crisps and snacks. The new packaging may be based on starch from potatoes, lactic acid from corn or cellulose from trees. Each of the materials offer different properties in terms of look, feel, sound and protective barrier.

PepsiCo UK already reduced the carbon footprint of one of its standard bag of crisps by 7 percent. Research carried out for the Carbon Trust by the Centre for Retail Research showed  9 out of 10 households in the United Kingdome bought a carbon labeled product in the last year and predicted sales of carbon labeled products to double in two years. The Carbon Reduction Label has reached the landmark figure of £2 billion in just three years, and the label is displayed on 85 products in total, including PepsiCo brands Walkers Crisps and Quaker Oats.

According to the company, Walkers crisp packets were the first ever products to display the Carbon Reduction Label in 2007, and to retain the labelfollowing significant carbon reductionsin 2009.

"The carbon reduction logo is a public commitment to reducing our carbon footprint year on year and ensures that we work hard to find innovative ways of making efficiencies at every step of our supply chain," said Richard Evans, President, PepsiCo UK & Ireland. We are proud to be leading the way on sustainability, which began by working with the Carbon Trust to understand the carbon footprint of our products, and led to Walkers crisps being the first product worldwide to feature the carbon label on pack."