This does not bode well.

In 2009, Frito Lay started selling their Sun Chips brand in a new kind of packaging. They began using a biodegradable polymer made from corn in their plastic bags. The corn based plastic bags would break down much, much faster in a landfill than the traditional bags, which will probably still be recognizable as snack food packaging when the Sun expands to a red giant star.

A giant corporation is taking a step to protect the environment. Yay!

There was only one problem. The new bags were much noisier than the old ones. Noisier? Yup, a lot noisier. The corn based bags made a crinkling sound, kind of a cross between cellophane and tin foil being crumpled up. That is, if a jet engine was being fueled by tin foil and spitting out cellophane exhaust.

Well, the increased amount of noise was sufficiently irritating that customers began calling up and complaining. Apparently the folks stuffing their pie holes with salty snacks want the chips to be crunchy, but not the packaging. Frito Lay has listened to their customers, and has pulled the new biodegradable plastic from production on all but one flavor of Sun Chip. They’ll probably switch that line over as well in a year, once they’ve used up the corn-based plastic resin they are contractually obligated to buy.

They’ve probably already contracted for oil tankers to bring in the petroleum for next year’s plastic. No doubt from some despotic Middle Eastern country where the only other export is hatred for America. “We would spit on you decadent, chip loving Americans, but we have no water, so our bodily moisture is precious to us.”

What strikes me about this situation is that this one small step towards sustainablility is being retracted for the most miniscule of reasons. Some poor sap at Frito Lay headquarters made the gutsy decision to try out the biodegradable packaging material. Don’t you know that guy’s career is in the toilet now. It’ll be a long time before anyone else suggests changing the packaging to improve the environment.

“You’re a bright guy, Jones, and you’ve got a bright future with the company. So let me give you some advice. See that poor, shambling wreck of a man? The ruined giant pushing the broom around the offices? He was the man who championed the Sun Chips packaging change back in ’09. Don’t go pushing the ecology thing. It won’t be healthy for you.”

To deal with resource depletion, global warming, and dependence on imported oil, we will all have to make changes in our lifestyles. Here we have an example of a positive change that was rejected by the consuming public because the bags were too noisy. That gives you an indication of how far the average man in the street will go to protect the environment.

No, it doesn’t bode well at all.