Frito-Lay’s new Greenhouse Learning Center in Plano, Texas will test and analyze compostable packaging materials for PepsiCo’s sustainability initiative, according to a Packaging World article. They say,
“Just a week after an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, Frito-Lay North America invited a select group of media to tour what it says is a first-of-its kind facility globally for PepsiCo that will enable on-site testing and analysis of compostable packaging materials. According Frito-Lay, the new Greenhouse Learning Center, located at the company’s R&D headquarters in Plano, Tex., represents a key milestone in achieving PepsiCo’s PepsiCo Positive (pep+) packaging goal to design 100% of its packaging to be recyclable, compostable, biodegradable, or reusable by 2025.
Providing background on Pep+, David Allen, vice president, chief sustainability officer for PepsiCo Foods North America, said that the program, launched just over a year ago, is a fundamental transformation in PepsiCo’s business. “It’s about putting sustainability at the center of how we create growth and value for the organization and do that in a way that makes sure we’re operating within planetary boundaries, and we’re making a positive impact on the planet and the people,” he said.”
PepsiCo executives believe it offers flexibility as an end-of-life option and provides needed food safety barriers, according to a Packaging Digest article which says,
“”Several PepsiCo executives welcomed a local politician and various media outlets to the official opening on April 4, 2023. Denise Lefebvre, Senior Vice President of R&D for PepsiCo (pictured below), cited several reasons for why the company is “super focused on compostability.”
Compostable packaging is one of the paths that will help PepsiCo reach it’s 2025 goal of designing all packaging to be recyclable, reusable, compostable, or biodegradable. This goal is part of the company’s ambitious sustainability initiative called pep+, which was introduced in 2021.
Compostable packaging still allows company packaging engineers to develop multilayer films that provide the needed barrier to keep the food fresh and safe to eat (more on this below).”
The center aims to educate partners and stakeholders on compostable packaging, showcase the circularity of biodegradable materials, and provide training to co-ops and visitors to change industry standards.
