Frito-Lay Canada is now selling its SunChips in a 100% compostable packaging, which is obviously good news. The bad news about it is that the packs are very noisy. The fans of the product have even registered a group on Facebook, entitled “Sorry but I can’t hear you over this SunChips bag” with over 52 thousand fans to date, and the brand is doing everything possible to convince the public that loud and green should win over quiet and harmful. If consumers want to eat these chips, but hate the sound the packaging makes, the brand offers them a pair of earplugs. 

In response to public uproar, the SunChips launched a consumer awareness campaign to explain that it’s much better to buy chips in noisy still eco-friendly plant-based bags than to purchase the crispy product in packaging that is good to ears, but bad to nature. The slogan of the new campaign is «Our bag is loud, our bag is different, our bag is good for the environment, and our bag will remain on store shelves.» Its goal is to prove that despite the new SunChips packaging is really loud (just because the materials it is made of can’t get soft at room temperature), it can break down in 14 weeks if placed in a warm compost pile, so it’s totally green.

“The new SunChips compostable bag has caused quite a lot of noise for being noisy. We’ve had a record number of calls and emails to our office since we launched in February of this year and despite what you may have heard, SunChips is and always was keeping the bag here in Canada. We believe that trading off a little noise in order to help shrink our footprint on the planet is worth it,” commented Tony Matta, vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay Canada. The brand also released a video featuring Frito-Lay sustainability leader Helmi Ansari, who tells the benefits of the new offer, shows the original bag as we see it on the shelf and another ‘bag’ turned compost.

Those who still believe that this SunChips packaging is too loud, can get a free pair of earplugs from Frito-Lay—to redeem one of them, consumers are asked to send a postcard explaining why they are happy to be making some noise about helping the environment.