Even as skyrocketing gas prices ease slightly, there is no denying the fact that green consumerism is here to stay. Shoppers are becoming increasingly educated, and proactive, about the types of products they are buying and how those goods are sourced and manufactured. And many brands are using packaging as the primary vehicle to communicate this information on-shelf.

SunChips, Frito-Lay’s popular brand of multigrain chips, is among the first national consumer packaged goods brands to include the “Green-e” designation (www.green-e.org) on packaging across a full line of snacks. The updated design will feature the Green-e logo, a designation from the Center for Resource Solutions—a national non-profit that works to increase the amount of renewable energy used worldwide.

“Including the Green-e on the Sun Chips line of snacks gives the brand an opportunity to communicate its commitment to support green energy, and hopefully will remind and encourage consumers to take their own small steps to make our world a brighter place,” says Gannon Jones, vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay North America.

SunChips brand communications will focus on the “small steps” concept as part of the brand’s “Live Brightly” campaign. One of those small steps is the support of green energy through the purchase of renewable energy certificates to match 100 percent of the electricity needed to produce SunChips in the United States.

“The inspiration for the ‘Live Brightly’ campaign came from the simple yet powerful idea that small steps can add up to have a positive impact on your life as a whole,” says Jones.

Energy conservation has long been a strategic initiative for brand owner Frito Lay, and since 1999 the organization’s total fuel consumption per pound of snacks has been reduced nearly 24 percent; electricity consumption is down 21 percent; and overall water consumption per pound of snacks has been reduced 35 percent.

The SunChips brand’s Green-e packaging is part of PepsiCo’s continued efforts in the area of environmental sustainability, defined as “Performance with Purpose”. The packaging initiative, and Live Brightly campaign, is supported by print and TV advertising.

The author, Jennifer Acevedo, is the Editor-in-Chief of BRANDPACKAGING magazine. Contact Jennifer at acevedoj@bnpmedia.com