You Can If You (Really) Try …..
It’s easier to find crisp manufacturers who DON’T sell their crisps in biodegradable packaging. The supermarkets shelves are lined with row upon row of crisps and snacks wrapped in a combination of foil and plastic – packaging which will not biodegrade and is difficult to recycle.
It’s true that, as a result of a great deal of consumer pressure, Walkers Crisps have partnered with Terracycle recycling solutions but, for some of us, it is extremely difficult to get our empty cheese and onion wrappers to one of the 3834 Terracycle public recycling collection points. (My local one is at a school so, if I can’t get there when the school is open and during term time, I have to drive 10 miles in the opposite direction to try to drop off in a library. Which isn’t great for my carbon footprint. I’ve lobbied my local supermarkets and my local council to set up a public Terracycle collection point but have had no success.)
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Walkers Have Plans
Walkers have pledged to make their packaging biodegradable by 2025.
Yes, you read that correctly, 2025 which is currently six years away. Six years’ worth of empty plastic crisp packets piling up in landfill, in the sea, taking decades to decay.
What are Other Large Crisps Manufacturers Doing?
KP are running a three stage plan to reduce their packaging impact:
- They too have a recycling scheme running at Terracycle.
- They are also using 23% less packaging in their Hula-Hoops multi-packs.
- They have signed the UK Plastics Pact and have pledged to make their plastic film fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
Kettle Crisps don’t seem to have signed the pact but say
We’ve been looking into various options, including recyclable, biodegradable and compostable packaging, but we haven’t yet found the right solution. We’re continuously looking – it’s a priority for us. We believe that retailers, manufacturers, the government and the waste management industry working together can find the best way forward.
kettlechips.co.uk
Hmm, beliefs are all well and good but someone needs to take some action!
So Does Anyone Sell Crisps in Biodegradable Packaging?
A quick online search has revealed that a company called Two Farmers does!
According to their website:
The packets are made from cellulose and sustainably grown eucalyptus trees from managed plantations. This means that they are 100% compostable and will compost in a home-composting environment in a little over 26 weeks!
Two Farmers’ Website
What Flavours Do They Make?
- Lightly Salted (vegan friendly)
- Hereford Bullshot (vegan unfriendly)
- Hereford Hop Cheese and Onion (vegan friendly)
- Salt and Cider Vinegar (vegan friendly)
What Size Packets?
The crisps can be purchased in 40g bags or 150g bags for sharing. They also sell 500g tins (recyclable) for larger catering needs.
Where Can I Buy Them?
If you go to the Two Farmers website, you can enter your postcode and find your nearest stockist.
Alternatively, you can purchase their crisps online direct from their website or you can buy them from Amazon:
6 x Two Farmers Natural Lightly Salted Crisps 40g Plastic Free!
Two Farmers Hand Cooked Crisps – Hereford Hop Cheese and Onion, 40 g Case Pack of 24
Two Farmers Hand Cooked Crisps – Salt and Cider Vinegar, 40 g Case Pack of 24
Why aren’t the Large Crisp Manufacturers Using the Same Packaging as Two Farmers?
I don’t know for sure but possibly the Two Farmers packaging does not provide the shelf life that the large manufacturers require and so the eco-packaging is not currently a viable (aka profitable) solution for large manufacturing companies. Also, new packaging demands new packaging processes which means investing money in new machinery.
Money.
How Much Do Two Farmers Crisps Cost?
Well, to purchase their delicious hand cooked crisps online, it currently costs £24 for 25 packets (40g).
A Walkers Crisps multipack containing 24 packets (25g) currently costs on average £3.
To Weigh Up the Costs
Purchasing Two Farmers crisps on a regular basis would just prove too costly for most of us, so let’s hope that Walkers and the other major crisp manufacturers meet their environmentally friendly packaging deadline early, or we may just have to give up our crisp habit for the next six years.
Which would definitely help both the environment and our waistlines!
What Can You Do?
- Demand that the manufacturers change their ways and follow Two Farmers’ example.
- Tell shops that you want to buy crisps in compostable packaging – ask them why they don’t stock Two Farmers crisps.
- Put it in writing – write or email the large supermarket chains.
- Give up buying crisps until the packaging changes.
Further Reading
- How to Recycle Crisp Packets and Save the World
- Come On Tesco and Sainsburys – Play Your Part in Recycling Crisp Packets
- Eco Living – How Much Plastic is There In Your Life?
© Michelle Le Grand
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