Iconic crisp brand invests £14m in sustainable packaging

Iconic UK snack manufacturer Walkers has invested £14m in new packaging innovations that will remove 250 tonnes of plastic from its supply chain each year.

The Leicester-based brand is set to replace the outer plastic packaging on millions of its 22- and 24- bag multipacks with a new cardboard design as part of parent company PepsiCo’s drive to eliminate virgin fossil-based plastic from its European crisp and snack bags by 2030.

Walkers has also introduced a new stretch film to wrap around pallets before they are distributed to retailers. Reducing the amount of fossil-fuel based plastic in the shrink wrap is expected to reduce the company’s annual carbon emissions by 465 tonnes.

Simon Devaney, sustainable packaging director at PepsiCo UK & Ireland, said: “We are constantly exploring new scalable solutions and this investment marks an important step forward, delivering a huge reduction in virgin plastic across some of our best-selling ranges, while also helping to tackle our carbon footprint.

“Reducing virgin plastic across our supply chain is a key part of our commitment to creating a world where packaging never becomes waste.”