A couple of months ago, I embarked on a little truth in advertising experiment. I set out to investigate Sun Chips' claims on the home-compostability of their new packaging. (Previous blog post here.)
After the prescribed amount of time, I dug through the fully decomposed* and still fresh food scraps of my home compost bin and found the bag remains completely intact with a negligible amount of decomposing having occurred. While not surprised (I've tested companies' claims before (and after)), I was hoping this one would be different. Alas. So disappointed was I that I wrote to the company. Here's what I said.
Dear Sun Chips,
I write to you regarding your recently unveiled compostable Sun Chips bag. While I commend you on your pursuit of environmentally sustainable business practices, I feel, based on my experience, you've oversold/misrepresented the compostability therefore the environmental qualities of this product.
I'm a skeptic by nature and happen to have a keen interest in the general trend towards green. I like to investigate claims, think things through for myself, and provide my feedback, both good and bad, when a company's practices catch my interest.
My first experience with "compostable" packaging was a plastic soda glass from Pizzeria Pagliacci in Seattle, WA. The cup was so strong that I doubted it's claims of compostability. Instead of just spreading my doubt and negativity, I decided to test the claim. One year in my compost bin and not the slightest change. While not surprised, I was disappointed. I chalked the whole thing up to a subtly in language and assumed that they meant "industrially compostable".
It was this distinction of "industrial compost" vs. "home compost" that got me excited about your "home compostable" packaging. But again, being a skeptic, I decided to put it to the test. Well, after 16 weeks (2 more than you say it takes), there is negligible composting that has happened to the bag. While all the other food scraps, etc. surrounding the bag in the bin have already turned to soil, there is a pristine albeit dirty Sun Chips bag just sitting there.
If the bag was only 1/2 decomposed, I could deal. Sure we don't have the _best_ compost around. There isn't steam coming off and we don't turn it on a weekly basis. So if the bag decomposed slower in our bin, I could see that. Even thought everything else composts just fine, I'd still give your claim of "home-compostable" the benefit of the doubt.
Being that there was no change of the package, I'm forced to say that I consider this claim a complete untruth therefore greenwashing, a sin pretty high up in my value system. So while the product itself might be a step in the right direction, the over-claims about it leave a rather bad taste in my mouth about your company. (Luckily you have some of the tastiest chips around, so the bad taste is displaced quickly.) I hope that you continue to work on the development of this product or even spread the use of the current product (because industrially compostable packaging is better than totally non-compostable packaging). But I ask that you reassess the claims about the product.
Thanks,
Wren
P.S. I've shared my experiment, with photos, on my blog. http://blogduwren.com/?sp=Sun%20Chips%20Experiment%20Results
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