Sun Chips Compostable Packaging

As most of you know, last year Sun Chips rolled out a 100% compostable bag, which they eventually planned to sell all of their products in.  The bags were just as easy to handle as a regular bag, and although not extremely environmentally friendly, they were much better than a regular potato chip bag.  Late last year, Sun Chips took the bags off the market, and began to replace them with regular packaging that was similar to other Frito-Lay packaging (if a slight bit different chemically).  The reason for this sudden change of heart: Customer complaints. 

What do you think people could be complaining about with an environmentally friendly potato chip bag?  The answer: Noise.

That’s right, noise.  People were complaining that the packaging was too loud.  When I bought Sun Chips in that packaging, I felt that the packaging wasn’t necessarily any louder; it was just a different type of noise.  The problem with the bag is that these bags sounded different than what people were used to.

Sun Chips kept the compostable packaging available only in the Original flavor.   This is the type of potato chip I try to purchase when I’m shopping, because I appreciate the environmental benefits.

However, a recent trip to Walmart this weekend revealed a lack of the compostable bag.  I checked all of the shelves, but unfortunately, the compostable packaging just wasn’t there. 

I decided to look into this more.  I went to Sun Chips’ website, and found the page that I’ve linked to this post.  The compostable package is considered “specially marked.”  This means that these are special items that you’ll have to search for, and might not be carried in every store. 

While this is disappointing, there is hope.  Although I couldn’t find the compostable packaging, Sun Chips did mention that they are looking into more compostable packaging, and have “several new compostable package options in the works that look promising” and that they “look forward to introducing the next generation compostable bag to consumers in the near future.”  And I personally can’t wait to see what the next generation of compostable Sun Chips packaging has in store.