Walkers makes a huge change to crisp packs – and fans say ‘well done’
WALKERS have made a huge change to their Baked multipacks and fans are applauding them for it.
From today October 26, Walkers will be rolling out Walkers Baked multipacks with the outer packaging entirely made out of paper.
The brands’ parent company PepsiCo says the move forms part of its health and sustainability transformation plan which includes an ambition of reaching net zero emissions by 2040.
After trialling the paper packaging in 800 Tesco stores, PepsiCo says it is now ready to roll them out in all major supermarkets over the coming months.
The company says it also has plans to eliminate all “virgin fossil-based” plastic amongst all of its other brands which include Snack A Jacks, Doritos, Quavers and Wotsits.
We reached out to Walkers to find out if they intend to roll out other paper-based products in the future.
Gareth Callan, sustainable packaging lead at PepsiCo UK and Ireland said: “We are constantly innovating new ways to remove virgin plastic in our packaging. It’s exciting to see our successful trial of this paper pack lead to a nationwide roll-out.”
“At this scale, the new packaging will deliver a huge reduction in virgin plastic, while also helping to lower our carbon footprint.”
Shoppers took to X, previously known as Twitter, to share their delight at the news.
One user said: “Yay, well done Walkers for making your outer packaging paper.”
However, some fans were a little confused as to exactly what their role was in the move.
Another user asked: “How do I recycle this? It says it’s recyclable but doesn’t tell me how.”
Walkers have said the new multipack paper packaging can be recycled with other paper packaging in home recycling bins.
This comes after the snack producers rolled out cardboard outer packaging for millions of Walkers 22 and 24-bag multipacks.
They currently trialling new “bagless” Snack A Jacks multipacks, using a tape-like strip to hold together individual packets.
PepsiCo are one of many brands that have made the move from plastic to paper.
Fast food giant McDonald’s has completely cut back on their plastic packaging deploying new paper-based cups, lids and cutlery.
The company said it has already reduced virgin fossil fuel-based plastic in Happy Meal toys by 47.8%.
In August Aldi ditched the colour codes on their milk packaging in a bid to help the environment.
Coca-Cola has also started rolling out new caps on its bottles to ensure they end up in recycling bins.
However, fans were not pleased when they learned that Nestle was moving from its traditional plastic wrapping to new waxed paper.
Shoppers can expect to see the new Walkers packaging in stores over the next few months but the price will stay the same.
At the moment Tesco has the six-pack going for £1.65 while Sainsbury’s is selling them for a little more at £2.20.
The LatestDeals app has a supermarket price comparison feature that will compare prices across all major supermarkets including stores like Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Aldi.
Trolly.co.uk can tell you where to find the cheapest deals from a range of stores like B&M, Aldi and Tesco.
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