How Doritos Are Made With the Sun

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These solar panels are part of Frito-Lay's near net zero plant in Casa Grande, Ariz. Solar power, recycled water, reduced natural resource consumption and almost no landfill waste are all part of the strategy. Photo: Megan Dobransky

Everyone knows that converting a nearly 30-year-old manufacturing facility into a LEED Gold certified building is no small task. But that’s just the very beginning of what Frito -Lay has done at its Casa Grande, Ariz. facility.

The facility produces signature snacks such as Doritos, Sun Chips, Fritos and Lays – along with research that’s changing the way the company operates.

The ambitious mission of a near net-zero waste facility (running mostly on solar power, using recycled water and producing little landfill waste) is embodied in the changes the Casa Grande plant underwent. The facility recycles 75 percent of its water, produces energy through solar power enough to push electricity to the grid and sends only one percent of its waste to the landfill.

“”We’ve been on a pretty incredible journey when it comes to environmental sustainability and this is really the showcase,” says Al Halvorsen, Director of Environmental Sustainability at Frito-Lay.

Overall, the plant is a bit of a learning laboratory. Halvorsen says that they’re testing and trying to improve much of the new technology to be able to use at an industrial size across other Frito-Lay locations.

Here’s a more scientific look at the three, main initiatives that make this facility stand out: water conservation, solar power and biomass fuel.

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