In April, Frito-Lay, a business unit of PepsiCo, launched the first snack bag made in part from a renewable, compostable plastic resin—polylactic acid from NatureWorks LLC (see related story at “SunChips bag is 33% PLA”). In an exclusive interview with Greener Packaging, those involved with the project discussed why Frito-Lay chose this direction to further their sustainability goals, the challenges they encountered with the new application, and what benefits they are reaping as a result.

Taking part in the interview were Tony Knoerzer, vice president of Packaging and Sustainability for Frito-Lay; Brad Rodgers, manager of Packaging and Sustainability for Frito Lay; Aurora Gonzales, with Frito-Lay’s communications department; and
Steve Davies, director of Communications and Public Affairs for NatureWorks.

In this Podcast, Knoerzer and Rogers provide details on how Frito-Lay worked with the unique properties of PLA to create a bag with the right barrier and other properties. In addition, during the six-minute clip, Davies provides insight on NatureWorks’ involvement in the project.

In “Frito-Lay’s SunChips compostable packaging team tells all,” Knoerzer and Rogers talk about how their search for sustainable packaging options led them to the development of a fully compostable snack bag, in three manageable steps. The audio clip is approximately eight minutes long.

In a third Podcast, “Benefits of SunChips ‘three-thirds’ bag laid out,” all three Frito-Lay team members, beginning with Knoerzer, talk about the environmental, cost, and marketing advantages currently accruing from this pioneering development, as well as future expectations for the project.