UBQ Materials, the climate tech developer, recently announced that it is expanding its collaboration with PepsiCo into the production of eco-friendly display stands for Lay’s chips sold across Europe.
The display stands commonly made with oil-based plastics will be replaced with new ones, which will be partially composed of UBQ. UBQ is a bio-based thermoplastic that the company claims is made entirely from unsorted household waste. According to the company, every ton of UBQ produced saves up to 12 tons of greenhouse gases that would otherwise be released via landfills and incineration.
“Our goal is to transform our entire supply chain to tackle the sustainability challenges the world faces,” said David Schwartz, vice president at PepsiCo Labs. “UBQ Materials’ waste-based thermoplastic reduces landfill waste, prevents emissions, and takes us towards circularity, which is why we are working towards scaling use of UBQ globally.
“Achieving these goals is integral to the future of our business, our customers, our consumers and the planet.”
Albert Douer, UBQ Materials co-CEO and chairman added, “PepsiCo Labs plays a critical role in supporting Pep+, prioritizing innovations that minimize the company’s environmental impact. The climate crisis demands immediate action, and this collaboration is one example of how corporations can make significant change through simple substitutions.”
The announcement follows the companies’ previous efforts towards reducing the carbon footprint of shipping pallets, which they have done with the order of a further 30 thousand UBQ pallets for industrial use. Said pallets are reportedly made with recycled polypropylene (PP) resin and biaxially-oriented polypropylene (BOPP), both of which are said to be plastics featured in Lay’s packaging. UBQ claim that their use of these materials completes the circular economy cycle.
UBQ Materials is one of five organisations supporting PepsiCo reach their sustainability targets, which include cutting Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 75% by 2030 – a goal they are on track to meet, according to PepsiCo’s ESG Summary, released earlier this month.
