As part of the investment, the firm has introduced a new cardboard design to replace the exterior plastic packaging on Walkers 22- and 24-bag multipacks, reducing the consumption of virgin plastic
PepsiCo announces an investment of £14m in new sustainable food packaging innovations. (Credit: PepsiCo)
PepsiCo has announced an investment of £14m in new sustainable food packaging innovations to eliminate 250 tonnes of virgin plastic annually from its supply chain.
As part of the decision, the firm has introduced a new cardboard design to replace the exterior plastic packaging on Walkers 22- and 24-bag multipacks.
The move follows a successful trial with Tesco and now the improved multipack outer packaging will be available in the UK’s main supermarkets in the coming weeks.
Additionally, the firm has invested in new stretch films to wrap our pallets in before delivering them to shops.
The crisps are now protected by the new film because it is made using nanotechnology, which has microscopic air bubbles to lessen the amount of plastic required while maintaining the same strength and elasticity.
According to the firm, the usage of this new technique will result in a 40% annual reduction in virgin plastic when compared to the previous film.
The food company added that reducing the quantity of virgin plastic derived from fossil fuels used in shrink wrap would also result in a 465-tonne reduction in the company’s yearly carbon emissions.
PepsiCo UK & Ireland sustainable packaging director Simon Devaney said: “We are constantly exploring new scalable solutions and this investment marks an important step forward, delivering a huge reduction in virgin plastic across some of our best-selling ranges, while also helping to tackle our carbon footprint.
“Reducing virgin plastic across our supply chain is a key part of our commitment to creating a world where packaging never becomes waste.”
The investment represents a significant step toward the firm’s objective of removing virgin plastic derived from fossil fuels from crisp and snack bags throughout Europe by 2030.
The company also intend to test out novel approaches in the UK, such as using recycled plastic packaging for our snack bags.
PepsiCo stated that all of this is part of PepsiCo Positive, which aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.