Composting 102: The rise and fall of the compostable bag

Photo from Good Fun, April 2009

In 2009, Frito-Lay introduced an innovative idea--a 100% compostable bag. For all of my criticisms of the company, this was an initiative that I fully supported. Unfortunately, many consumers did not. Why? The bags were "too loud."

Under pressure from consumers, Frito-Lay discontinued the compostable Sunchips bag a year and a half later: USATodaySunchipsstory

To Frito-Lay's credit, they claim to be working on (and have had some success) a "quieter" Sunchips bag. Currently, the new bag is only available in the original flavor Sunchips. See the company's statement: QuieterSunchipsbag

The photo above is another example of postmodern aesthetics that Frito-Lay's team of marketers and advertisers loves to employ. It's not so much about a "cool" aesthetic, but the idea is the same. The message is that by buying Sunchips, you are helping the environment. This, of course, assumes that consumers of Sunchips don't just throw the bag in the trash. Moreover, out of all the products Frito-Lay makes, only the original Sunchips get packaged in compostable bags. Perhaps I could be excited that it's the start of something revolutionary, but I won't believe the hype until this technology is used with more of their products and products from other companies. This can happen, and it should happen sooner than later.

The image of a plant growing out of the Sunchips bag seems to be an attempt to reach environmentally conscious consumers (even though it is in the company magazine directed at employees). I would suggest the group Frito-Lay may be trying to reach here is what Kathy Myers calls "Bright Greens" (222). According to Myers, "Bright Greens are anti-high-tech. They believe that even the paper used for advertisements should be as straightforward and factual as possible..." (222). After all, even the most militant environmentalists like an easy snack now and then. Yet, Myers' classification may not fully explain how the vacillations of "green" consumers. A consumer may not be considerate of their environmental decisions day to day. An area for further research would be to collect data on Frito-Lay employees' attitudes toward environmental issues.

For more on Myers, see "Selling Green," in C. Squiers (ed.) 1999. Overexposed: Essays on Contemporary Photography. New York, The New Press.