Isn’t There a Quieter Way to Save the Planet?

I read an article today that I just can’t help commenting on. As some of you know, the FritoLay brand SunChips recently introduced a 100-percent biodegradable chip bag. It will biodegrade in around 14 weeks as opposed to conventional chip bags that last for 100 years or so. Great achievement and an important earth-friendly innovation, right? Yet almost 40,000 people have joined a Facebook group called “SORRY BUT I CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER THIS SUNCHIPS BAG" to complain about how noisy and loud the bag is when they eat the chips. Really.

As Jay Leno would say, “How fat are we that now we don’t want to be disturbed by any loud noises as we gorge ourselves on fatty salted snacks?"

This would be funnier if these people weren’t serious. But many of them are. SunChips gave a classic response on store shelves with signage reading “Yes, the bag is loud. That’s what change sounds like." And it’s a smackdown!

According to Mintel research, 43 percent of consumers say that they are more likely to buy SunChips based on their strong eco-friendly positioning. But as usual, the vocal minority appear bigger than their actual numbers. And quite frankly, their ignorance is showing.

So for those who stopped buying SunChips because of the noisy bag, perhaps you’d like the resulting compost of non-recyclable bags dumped in your yard? As with most ecological advances, progress often comes with a tradeoff. Small price to pay if you ask me.