Why food sustainability starts with the wrapper and the farm
Snack sustainability is visible. The waste sits in your hand. The ingredients come from fields under stress.
Four signals matter.
Plastic neutrality.
Brands collecting and recycling all packaging waste offset disposal harm. ITC and Britannia lead due to formal EPR systems and audited recovery.
Water stewardship.
Zero discharge plants and water positive operations reduce local scarcity. This matters more than distant carbon claims.
Ingredient integrity.
Unpolished grains, millets, and minimal processing reduce energy use and preserve nutrition. Tata Sampann and Slurrp Farm score high.
Agricultural resilience.
Millets and regenerative sourcing protect soil and farmer income. PepsiCo scores here through large scale farm programs.
Metrics used in ranking
Plastic neutrality certification.
Water discharge status.
Ingredient processing intensity.
Crop diversity and sourcing practices.
Manufacturing energy mix.
RTE Data
| Product | Manufacturer | India Sales Rank | Scope 1 Proxy (kg CO2e/unit) | Scope 2 Proxy (kg CO2e/unit) | Scope 3 Proxy (kg CO2e/unit) | Energy Efficiency / Intensity Proxy | Water Intensity Proxy (L/unit) | Material Circularity (%) | Packaging Material | Packaging CO2e (kg/unit) | Waste or E-waste (kg/unit) | Company Renewable Energy (%) | Social/Safety Proxy | BRSR Available | Sustainability Report Available | Data Confidence | Estimation Basis | Primary Reference Link | Subjective Sustainability Factor | Final Sustainability Score (0–100) | Final Sustainability Rating (1–5) |
| Lay’s Classic | PepsiCo | 1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.8 | NA | 30 | 5 | Plastic | 0.09 | 0.02 | 45 | NA | Y | Y | Low | Food LCA | https://www.pepsico.com/sustainability | FC5 potato control raises biodiversity & farmer‑rights concerns. | 81 | 4 |
| Kurkure Masala | PepsiCo | 2 | 0.22 | 0.11 | 1.9 | NA | 32 | 5 | Plastic | 0.1 | 0.02 | 45 | NA | Y | Y | Low | Food LCA | https://www.pepsico.com/sustainability | Industrial maize inputs; packaging‑heavy snack format. | 71.59 | 4 |
| Parle-G | Parle Products | 4 | 0.18 | 0.09 | 1.6 | NA | 28 | 6 | Plastic | 0.08 | 0.02 | 15 | NA | N | Y | Low | Industry avg | https://www.parleproducts.com/sustainability | High product‑to‑pack ratio; low per‑kcal footprint. | 88 | 4 |
| Britannia Good Day | Britannia | 5 | 0.19 | 0.1 | 1.7 | NA | 29 | 6 | Plastic | 0.09 | 0.02 | 30 | NA | Y | Y | Low | Company ESG | https://www.britannia.co.in/sustainability | Efficient mass‑bakery scale; good product‑to‑pack ratio. | 85.27 | 4 |
| Britannia Little Hearts | Britannia | 6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.8 | NA | 30 | 6 | Plastic | 0.09 | 0.02 | 30 | NA | Y | Y | Low | Company ESG | https://www.britannia.co.in/sustainability | Smaller packs increase wrapper count per kg. | 81 | 4 |
| Bingo Mad Angles | ITC | 3 | 0.23 | 0.12 | 2 | NA | 33 | 5 | Plastic | 0.11 | 0.02 | 20 | NA | Y | Y | Low | Food LCA | https://www.itcportal.com/sustainability | ITC WOW & plastic‑neutral programmes offset packaging impact. | 58.85 | 3 |
| Slurrp Farm | Slurrp Farm | 18 | 0.24 | 0.12 | 2.1 | NA | 34 | 6 | Paper/Plastic | 0.11 | 0.03 | 20 | NA | Y | Y | Low | Food LCA | https://slurrpfarm.com/pages/sustainability | Millet‑based products aid sustainable cropping systems. | 50.84 | 3 |
| Sunfeast Yippee | ITC | 7 | 0.24 | 0.12 | 2.1 | NA | 34 | 5 | Plastic | 0.11 | 0.03 | 20 | NA | Y | Y | Low | Food LCA | https://www.itcportal.com/sustainability | ITC plastic‑neutral commitments improve lifecycle balance. | 47.09 | 2 |
| Maggi Noodles | Nestlé | 8 | 0.25 | 0.12 | 2.2 | NA | 35 | 4 | Plastic/Composite | 0.12 | 0.03 | 35 | NA | Y | Y | Low | Nestlé LCA | https://www.nestle.com/sustainability | Long shelf‑life reduces food waste; MLP packs unrecyclable. | 42.83 | 2 |
| Top Ramen | Nissin | 9 | 0.24 | 0.12 | 2.1 | NA | 34 | 4 | Plastic/Composite | 0.11 | 0.03 | 20 | NA | Y | Y | Low | Food LCA | https://www.nissinfoods.com/sustainability | Shelf‑stable product reduces food waste despite MLP. | 43.34 | 2 |
| Kellogg’s Cornflakes | Kellogg’s | 14 | 0.28 | 0.14 | 2.5 | NA | 38 | 6 | Plastic/Paper | 0.13 | 0.03 | 35 | NA | Y | Y | Low | Food LCA | https://www.kelloggs.com/en_US/sustainability.html | Whole‑grain focus supports climate‑resilient cropping. | 33.1 | 2 |
| Bagrry’s Oats | Bagrry’s | 15 | 0.26 | 0.13 | 2.3 | NA | 36 | 6 | Paper/Plastic | 0.12 | 0.03 | 20 | NA | Y | Y | Low | Food LCA | https://bagrrys.com/sustainability | Oats & millets support climate‑resilient agriculture. | 40.09 | 2 |
| Yoga Bar | Yoga Bar | 16 | 0.27 | 0.13 | 2.4 | NA | 37 | 6 | Paper/Plastic | 0.12 | 0.03 | 15 | NA | Y | Y | Low | Food LCA | https://yogabar.in/pages/sustainability | Whole‑grain focus positive; virgin plastic persists. | 34.58 | 2 |
| Unibic Cookies | Unibic | 17 | 0.25 | 0.12 | 2.2 | NA | 35 | 6 | Plastic | 0.11 | 0.03 | 10 | NA | N | Y | Low | Industry avg | https://www.unibicfoods.com/sustainability | Premium positioning → more wrappers per kg product. | 44.08 | 2 |
| Tata Sampann | Tata | 19 | 0.29 | 0.14 | 2.4 | NA | 37 | 6 | Paper/Plastic | 0.13 | 0.03 | 45 | NA | Y | Y | Low | Tata ESG | https://www.tata.com/sustainability | Strong farmer‑linkage models; better price transmission. | 37.64 | 2 |
| MTR Ready Meals | MTR | 10 | 0.3 | 0.14 | 2.5 | NA | 38 | 4 | Plastic/Composite | 0.14 | 0.03 | 10 | NA | N | Y | Low | Food LCA | https://www.mtrfoods.com/sustainability | Retort pouches give long shelf‑life; not recyclable. | 17.12 | 1 |
| ITC Aashirvaad Meals | ITC | 11 | 0.29 | 0.14 | 2.4 | NA | 37 | 4 | Plastic/Composite | 0.13 | 0.03 | 20 | NA | Y | Y | Low | Food LCA | https://www.itcportal.com/sustainability | ITC sustainability programmes support plastic neutrality. | 23.89 | 1 |
| Haldiram’s Aloo Bhujia | Haldiram | 12 | 0.26 | 0.13 | 2.3 | NA | 36 | 4 | Plastic | 0.12 | 0.03 | 5 | NA | N | Y | Low | Industry avg | https://www.haldirams.com/sustainability | Palm‑oil reliance; weak sourcing transparency. | 28.84 | 1 |
| Haldiram’s Namkeen | Haldiram | 13 | 0.27 | 0.13 | 2.4 | NA | 37 | 4 | Plastic | 0.12 | 0.03 | 5 | NA | N | Y | Low | Industry avg | https://www.haldirams.com/sustainability | Ethnic snacks; limited supply‑chain transparency. | 24.58 | 1 |
| Amul Ready Foods | Amul | 20 | 0.3 | 0.15 | 2.6 | NA | 39 | 6 | Plastic/Composite | 0.14 | 0.03 | 20 | NA | Y | Y | Low | Food LCA | https://amul.com/m/sustainability | Farmer co‑operative sourcing improves income distribution. | 21.75 | 1 |
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