From packets to pitches

Lay’s has launched a new global programme that will use empty chip packets and the power of football to bring joy to communities around the world.

During June 2021, Lay’s announced that it has partnered with the UEFA Foundation for Children and streetfootballworld on a new global initiative, Lay’s RePlay. The goal of this initiative is to reuse empty chip packs to help create sustainable soccer pitches.

Lay’s also partnered with local organisation Amandla, the South African Football Association, and the City of Ekurhuleni.

Up to five Lay’s RePlay football pitches are set to open throughout the world in 2021, with the first being in Thembisa, and Russia, Brazil, Turkey and the UK following suit.

With the potential to benefit over 16 000 members of the community through more than 3 600 hours of play and educational-sporting programmes in the first year alone, Lay’s RePlay places a strong emphasis on involving community members and local organisations throughout the planning, construction, and maintenance phases of each pitch.

In South Africa, the local programme, managed by NPO partner Amandla, looks to empower the youth, promote inclusivity, and share key life skills and prosocial behaviours with EduFootball sessions.

Net-zero pitches

Lay’s RePlay pitches maximise social value while minimising environmental impact. From the materials making the pitch to the installation, the pitches are designed to be as environmentally sustainable as possible.

In partnership with GreenFields, a global artificial pitch manufacturer, the empty Lay’s chip packets are collected from local waste and recycling partnerships, shredded and converted into pellets that form an underlying layer, called Ecocept, beneath the turf.

Both the turf and Ecocept layer are 100% recyclable at the end of their lifespan. Beyond the turf, Lay’s has committed to adopting a carbon compensation strategy that will ensure all pitches deliver a net-zero carbon footprint over their lifespans of an estimated 10 years.

This global initiative and commitment by Lay’s has been verified by independent consultancy Good Business, with an in-depth study finding that Lay’s RePlay pitches have a significantly lower environmental impact than alternative artificial pitches across several metrics, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic pollution, recyclable material and turf, ecological disturbance, and water usage.

The brand launches Lay’s RePlay as a progression of the artificial pitches it developed with the UEFA Foundation for Children in Jordan’s Za’atari and Azraq refugee camps in 2017 and 2018, which have since provided 35 000 people with access to the sport.

Local partnerships

Multiple stakeholders will collaborate in the construction of the mini pitches, each taking on average up to eight months to complete.

The local implementing partner in each location will lead the process, under close supervision of streetfootballworld. The project will involve close coordination with the local community before, during and after construction, and local sourcing will be preferred to ensure local capacity development and to build trust.

Community engagement will take centre stage, since the community is not seen as a mere recipient, but rather as part of the decisionmaking process. The approach will be participatory and involve talking to community stakeholders, understanding their needs, appreciating their contexts, and collaborating to find optimal solutions.

To develop the communities’ interest and sense of ownership, committees will be set up. All committee members will be part of the community and therefore responsible for ensuring that the pitches continue to be a valuable and safe space for all community members.