On April 4, Frito-Lay and Quaker, two PepsiCo brands, announced the opening of an industry-leading greenhouse learning center at their R&D headquarters. The Learning Center will be used to test, measure and analyze compostable packaging on-site to accelerate innovation. The facility is an important milestone in achieving the company's PepsiCo Positive (pep+) packaging goal of designing 100 percent of packaging to be recyclable, compostable, biodegradable or reusable by 2025.
Denise Lefebvre, senior vice president of research and development at PepsiCo, said, "Our vision for sustainable packaging is a world where packaging never becomes waste." We are actively changing our own compostable snack packaging technologies. By sharing these technologies, we are inviting the industry to make these changes as well. We are prioritizing, investing in and accelerating projects to build a more circular, inclusive economy."
The R&D packaging team will use the Greenhouse Learning Center to test the biodegradability of compostable packaging in different environments to accelerate learning, validate lab results with simultaneous real-time experiments, and simultaneously improve packaging formulations to iterate packaging solutions faster.
The learning center aims to make packaging products at least two to three times faster from testing to certification readiness in an effort to move the business and the industry as a whole forward. The new facility, the first of its kind in the world for PepsiCo, is adjacent to and complements the existing prototype lab where compostable packaging was born. It also aims to positively change industry standards by educating partners and stakeholders on the benefits of transitioning to compostable packaging, demonstrating the recyclability of biodegradable materials, and providing training to cooperatives and visitors.
Frito-Lay and Quaker's R&D teams have been conducting research and forming strategic partnerships for years to improve the packaging process. Frito-Lay and Quaker's compostable packaging has been evolving since the launch of the first commercial 100% compostable potato chip bag in 2010.
"We look forward to leveraging the key findings of the Greenhouse Learning Center, along with our scale, reach and expertise in North America and globally, to drive progress for our organization and the industry as a whole," said David Allen, chief sustainability officer for Frito-Lay and Quaker. "We must work together to inspire positive change for the planet and for people, and Frito-Lay and Quaker are proud to lead the way."
Building on the knowledge gained from the launch of Off The Eaten Path's next generation of commercially compostable packaging, the company has introduced additional options made from 85% renewable plant-based materials that emit approximately 60% less greenhouse gases (GHG) than traditional snacks. Looking ahead, the company will focus on home composting packaging and biodegradable packaging, where the research conducted at the Greenhouse Learning Center will be very important.
About Frito-Lay
Is the $2.3 billion convenience foods division of PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), headquartered in Purchase, N.Y. Frito-Lay snacks include Lay's and Ruffles chips, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips and branded dips, Cheetos snacks, Stacy's pita chips PopCorners pop corn snacks, SunChips assorted snacks and Fritos tortilla chips.
About Quaker
Quaker Oats, headquartered in Chicago, is a subsidiary of PepsiCo, one of the world's largest consumer products companies. for more than 140 years, the Quaker brand has been a symbol of quality, taste and nutrition.
