A Greener Future is a Louder Future

SunChips has finally released its 100 percent compostable chip bag. The new packaging is guaranteed to break down after 14 weeks in a hot, active compost bin or pile.

But along with being compostable, the bag is also 100 percent annoying.

I suppose it was wise of the Frito-Lay company to address the issue on their website:

“Truth be told, our new bag sounds a bit different than our previous bags. That's because plant-based materials have different sound properties than the materials used to create our old bags. So although this version is a little bit louder, we hope you'll appreciate the change and the positive environmental impact it will have.”

I considered writing to them about replacing “a little bit louder” with “sounds like a nuclear explosion in my hands,” but figured it wouldn’t get me anywhere.

Actually, I don’t know if this compostable bag is even getting them anywhere.

Frito-Lay refuses to tell how much money had to be dished out for this new packaging. Gannon Jones, the company’s vice president for marketing in North America, said that “it’s not a cost-savings for [Frito-Lay].”

But besides all that, how many Americans actually compost? According to Ariel Schwartz, a writer for Fast Company, most don’t.

“So here's hoping SunChips' foray into green bags is just the beginning. Because unless compostable bags become as commonplace as recyclable soda cans, they don't stand a chance,” Schwartz writes.

Let’s just be honest. When the average American flops onto their cozy little couch with a bag of Harvest Cheddar SunChips, the last thing they’re worried about is how environmentally friendly the thing is. If the decibel level of a chip bag exceeds that of the TV, now that’s something to worry about.

But in Frito-Lay’s defense, they’ve handled the marketing of this new bag quite well. They apparently weren’t naïve enough to believe the bag’s new sound would go unnoticed. That’s probably why they’ve coined a phrase for it: “the new sound of green.”

If this new compostable stuff catches on, I guess we’ll just have to get used to eardrum-shattering chip bags.

I blame Al Gore.

Article Author: Daniel Speir

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