Sun Chips is doing quite a bit towards promoting sustainability. Check out their website to learn about their photovoltaic system and compostable bags. http://www.sunchips.com/healthier_planet.shtml
However their sales are down 11 % this year because of the compostable bag and so they are pulling the majority of these bags off of the shelf. Here is an instance where the "consumer muscle" enforced a change on a manufacturer, but in the wrong direction. I think part of the problem may be that most people who care about waste management do not eat a lot of processed snack food.
This news has been making its way around the internet very quickly and a few groups have gotten ahold of it in hopes that they can get Frito-Lay to rethink the change. Isn't this the company that used to make commercials espousing the merits of their super loud crunchy chips.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't even heard of Sunchips' compostable bag (or the fact that they're now being pulled from the shelves)! Hopefully the groups Jason mentioned will be successful in convincing Frito-Lay to change their minds.
ReplyDeleteSilent packaging? Interesting...
ReplyDeleteI do wonder how "compostable" they are. Under normal conditions? SUper-heated conditions? I do know that I saw some non-compostable ones in the compost... oops...
Seeing what corporations are doing to try to "green" themselves is pretty interesting...
I saw this on Twitter and became completely outraged! Their customers can't handle a "noisy" bag?? Give me a break! Apparently they were too loud for people sitting on the couch eating chips and watching tv. And I'm totally serious...I think that was a complaint: too loud for tv watching. Ha!
ReplyDeleteFound it! Here is a really really terrific article discussing the Sunchip situation, but also the future of innovation. Seriously good read! http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/10/sunchips-and-supercapitalism/64128/
ReplyDeleteI'm with Caitlin! I'm really disappointed to hear that noisiness is deterring people from using compostable bags. Although, Jill has a point -- probably the people who really care about composing aren't eating a lot of sunchips in front of the TV!
ReplyDeleteIt's really sad to see that people are more concerned with hearing the TV than they are about their planet and their kids planet.
ReplyDelete