Walkers is investing £14m in introducing new sustainable packaging that aims to remove 250 tonnes of virgin plastic from its supply chain annually.
Following a successful trial with Tesco, the outer plastic packaging on Walkers 22- and 24- bag multipacks will be replaced with a new cardboard design.
Walkers has also invested in a new stretch film to wrap around pallets before these are distributed to retailers. The new film is produced using nanotechnology which puts tiny air bubbles into the film to reduce the amount of plastic used, while retaining the same strength and stretch needed. The brand claims that this new technology will lead to a 40% reduction in virgin plastic year-on-year, compared to the previous film.
Meanwhile, the snacks giant is reducing the amount of fossil fuel-based virgin plastic in the shrink wrap which will reduce the company’s annual carbon emissions by 465 tonnes.
Simon Devaney, sustainable packaging director, PepsiCo UK & Ireland said: “We are constantly exploring new scalable solutions and this investment marks an important step forward, delivering a huge reduction in virgin plastic across some of our best-selling ranges, while also helping to tackle our carbon footprint.
“Reducing virgin plastic across our supply chain is a key part of our commitment to creating a world where packaging never becomes waste.”
