Walkers has overhauled its Sunbites range with the rollout of new packaging made with recycled plastic and a recipe change to ensure it’s classified as non-HFSS.
The recycled plastic content has been allocated using the ISCC+ certified mass balance approach. This means buying and using sufficient mass-balanced recycled plastic material to eliminate 200 tonnes of fossil-based plastic across Sunbites packaging by the end of 2025.
It is the latest in a series of packaging innovations from Walkers, which has seen the brand recently launch new paper outer packaging for the entire Walkers Baked range and roll out a cardboard design for Walkers 20-bag multipacks.
The launch forms part of PepsiCo Positive (pep+), Walkers’ parent company’s health and sustainability plan, which includes an ambition in Europe to eliminate virgin fossil-based plastic in crisp and snack bags by 2030.
Alongside the new packaging, the snack’s recipe has been reformulated and is now non-HFSS. Made with wholegrains and natural flavourings, Sunbites now contains less sugar and salt in the seasoning.
Sunbites joins a line-up of Walkers non-HFSS snacks, including 45% Less Salt, Baked, Doritos Dippers and PopWorks.
Last year, Walkers set an ambition to make snacks that are non-HFSS or sold in portions of under 100 calories comprise 50% of its sales by 2025. Eighteen months on, Walkers is now over halfway to reaching this goal – with 30% of the snack brand’s sales now made up of healthier snacks.
Gareth Callan, sustainable packaging lead for PepsiCo UK, commented: “We’re proud of the progress we’ve made so far to reduce the fossil-based plastic we use and meet growing demand for healthier snacking options without sacrificing taste.
“We’re working hard to reinvent our packaging. To help us do this at scale, we are urging the UK government to recognise the role that chemical recycling and other emerging mechanical technologies could play in creating demand for food-contact flexible plastics – including the modification of the Plastic Packaging Tax to stimulate a circular economy for packaging in the UK.”
