MNN - Mother Nature Network

When SunChips America decided to pull its much-touted compostable packaging last month, the move was met with both praise and mocking scorn. Launched in 2009, the bags were considered a huge green move for the company — but they were shelved only 18 months later after people complained they were too loud when crinkled. 

 

"We need to listen to our consumers," s
pokeswoman Aurora Gonzalez said. "We clearly heard their feedback."

 

Environmentalists were bummed that the company decided to shelve the bags before coming up with a replacement. Even Stephen Colbert jumped on the move, saying, “I don’t want my snack packaging to decompose. That’s a chilling reminder of my own mortality. My garbage is my legacy.”

 

So with SunChips America officials drumming up the press, their Canadian counterparts decided to take advantage of the controversy and release some PSAs explaining why they were keeping the compostable packaging. In a nutshell, they're telling consumers to suck it up and deal. 

 

“There’s been some confusion about the SunChips compostable bag here in Canada,” Helmi Ansari, sustainability leader for Frito-Lay Canada, says in a new PSA. “I’m here to set the record straight. SunChips is and always has been planning on keeping the compostable bag in Canada.”

 

“The tradeoff is pretty clear. A little more noise, for a little less waste, and a little more green,” Ansari adds.

 

In a clever move, the company is offering free earplugs for those who still can't get beyond the noise issue — or, in my opinion, as a way to drown out the people who complain about such things. 

 

Check out the PSA below: