THIS IS WAY OVERDUE.
WE’VE BEEN BUYING AIR FOR YEARS.
This Doesn’t Work Without You
Drop your email and be part of the launch.
WE ALWAYS KNEW SOMETHING WAS OFF
Everyone has opened a bag that was mostly air. We accepted “a bit of space for freshness and cushioning”. But somewhere along the way, it turned into a business model.
PAYING FOR NOTHING
Cushioning is fine. But when most of the bag is air, that’s not packaging it's that’s profit.
SHOW RECEIPTS
Studies have found that the average bag of chips is 72 per cent empty - CDA Appliances. “Functional slack-fill” became the excuse, while the real product kept shrinking. We agreed to freshness, not 72% nothing.
TECH ISN’T THE PROBLEM
Underwear comes in zip pouches. Coffee does. Skin care does. Chips are still stuck in 1998.
SHOW RECEIPTS
They’ve sunk millions into old machinery and don’t want to adapt. In Australia, most chip brands sit under the same two parent companies. When a duopoly controls the shelf, there’s no pressure to change.
THE RECYCLING THEATRE
Logos everywhere. Real options? Basically none. Most bags go straight to landfill.
SHOW RECEIPTS
Chip bags are multi-layer plastic & metal film which can’t be recycled in normal bins. REDcycle looked like the answer, until 11,000+ tonnes of “recycled” soft plastics were found stockpiled in warehouses after the system collapsed.
PRICES UP. FILL DOWN.
Bags got louder. “Family size” got bigger. The chip level kept dropping.
SHOW RECEIPTS
Since COVID, prices climbed while the amount inside quietly shrank. Across movie nights & parties, it’s hundreds of dollars per person and millions in air sold instead of chips.
HOW BAD IS IT, REALLY?
AUSTRALIA’S SLACK-FILL SCOREBOARD
These estimates based on consumption data and
industry reports.
Once you see it, you can’t un-see it.
Volume
325M
Bags sold per year
Rough annual volume of chip bags across Australia. Every movie night, party and “quick snack” adds up.
Ghost Space
234M
“Ghost bags” of air
Once you strip out the honest cushioning, 234 millon bags out of the 325 million are empty which we all paid for. Yes, we are literally paying more for air then chips.
Money
$936M
Spent on nothing
Almost a billion dollars, every year, we are paying for air instead of chips. Not illegal. Just extremely convenient for these corpos.
Emissions
150K t
Extra CO₂ from slack-fill
More trucks, more pallets, more plastic to move air around the country. All of it avoidable with better packaging.
So… what are we actually doing about it?
We’re not waiting around. We’re fixing it ourselves.
PAYBACK™ started with one simple thought: this should already exist...but it doesn't.
So we made it happen. A proper pouch. More chips. No BS.
First flavour is Thermal Inferno with two more right behind it.
THE POUCH THAT ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE
A pouch that sits on your desk. Stands up, zips up and doesn’t collapse like the usual bag. Simple change that makes a big difference.
BUILT FOR HOW PEOPLE ACTUALLY SNACK NOW
GREASE-FREE DUSTING
Big flavour without oily hands.
No wipes. No napkins. No keyboard regrets.
RESEALABLE & DESK-FRIENDLY
Tear → eat → zip → keep going.
Sits next to your setup. No more chip-bag origami.
LOWER OIL. SMARTER SNACK.
Less oil = better taste and better sessions.
Not pretending to be “health food” — just better to demolish.
AND YEAH WE’VE GOT TWO MORE READY TO GO
HONEY BLAZE
Sweet honey with a slow kick. Proper “one more handful” flavour.
SOUR REACTOR
Lemon-lime sour with a punch. Late-night gaming meets face-scrunching.
Grease-Free & Delicious
Our chips are so good and taste good without leaving oils or orange fingers making it the perfect snack for any occasion.
Resealable Pouch
Guess what? Want to only eat a handful? Take it on the go? Have a bite while you are gaming? Well now you can. No more using rubber bands and throwing away stale chips.
Recyclable Packaging
Standard chips packets are not recyclable so they end up going in landfill. We use recyclable materials in the making of our pouch so you can put them in your standard yellow bin.
Be a part of the change.
We don't want your money, just your support.
MYTH VS REALITY
THE ARGUMENTS EVERYONE USES...UNTIL YOU LOOK CLOSER
The most common defenses for half-empty chip bags.
MYTH
“Chips are sold by weight, not volume.”
True, but the giant bag still manipulates you. The size on shelf = more exposure = more money.
REALITY
We buy with our eyes, not calculators. Big bag, small fill = shelf psychology, not honesty.
MYTH
“It’s nitrogen that keeps it fresh.”
The goal isn’t more nitrogen but less oxygen.
REALITY
The "air" can be any harmless gas. Chips stay fresh when oxygen is below 2% and not when half the bag is empty.
MYTH
“The air protects it from becoming crumbs.”
Protection is real...but packaging tech has evolved lol.
REALITY
Stand-up pouches, pressure control, rigid ribs etc. If air was enough, why are there still crumbs?
MYTH
“If it was wrong, they’d be fined.”
REALITY
And they have. Regulations cover only non-functional air. They call it “functional” so there are multiple loopholes that keep it legal.
MYTH
“Air is needed to prevent crushing during transport.”
Sounds logical right? Until you look at other packaged foods.
REALITY
Rigid structures & pressure control exist. If air really protected chips then why are there still crumbs?
MYTH
“It costs too much to change the packaging.”
Innovation moves when profit does.
REALITY
Stand-up pouches already exist. Air is cheaper than getting new manufacturing equipment and that’s the real reason nothing changed.
MYTH
“Regulations require a buffer of air.”
Legal ≠ ethical.
REALITY
The law only requires accurate weight. The empty space is a marketing choice and not a legal one.
MYTH
“People should stop complaining and get on with it.”
That mindset benefits the companies, not the customers. If you are this person then respectfully, this is not for you. You keep keep enjoying your air with a side of chips.
REALITY
Normalising disappointment doesn’t make it okay, it makes it profitable. Real change happens when people question the standard, not when they accept it.
Frequently asked questions
Is this only for gamers or anyone who snacks?
Not just gamers but anyone who snacks.
Gaming is where we start, not where we stop.
We’re building desk-friendly, movie-night-friendly, late-shift-friendly, binge-watch-friendly snacks.
If you’ve ever smashed a bag of chips at 1AM… congratulations, you’re our people.
Why hasn’t any big company fixed this already?
Because they don’t need to. All of the brands you see on the shelves are all owned by 2 big companies in australia. They just have a different label. They already own the shelf. They are not going to invest more money into new packaging equipment for us. Innovation costs money and well, air is cheaper. That’s why nothing changed.
What makes your packaging different?
Our stand-up pouch are made from recyclable materials and is resealable after being opened. It also allows us to fill the chips to the max whlist keeping the air low.
Is this a real snack brand or just a campaign?
Yep. real people, real chips. This isn’t “just awareness”. We’re building the first full chip, desk-friendly snack brand in Australia.
Why should I join the email list?
• First access to flavours & samples
• Vote on packaging & names
• Early supporter perks
• No spam. We hate that more than empty chip bags
Is this just another snack brand?
No. This is a line in the sand for every person who has ever opened a bag and felt scammed. If that’s ever been you, you’re not just a customer. You’re already part of this movement.
When can I actually buy these chips?
We’re currently finalising manufacturing & packaging.
Email subscribers get first access to samples + launch date.
Will they cost more than normal chips?
We’re not aiming to be expensive, we’re aiming to be fair.
Same bag size. Better structure. More chips inside. No grease-dump oil.
You’re not paying extra, you’re just paying for chips instead of pockets of air.
Are full pouches even possible? Why don’t big brands do it?
Yes, the technology already exists.
Coffee, supplements, skin care, even underwear use stand-up pouches.
The issue isn’t science. It’s old machinery + profit models.
We’re just choosing not to play along.
Will these chips taste…good?
Yesss they are really tasty. The flavours aren’t boring. Think Honey Blaze, Sour Reactor & Thermal Inferno.
Will they be healthier than normal chips?
We’re not pretending to be salad. But…
• Less oil = less grease
• Lower air pressure = less oxidation
• Cleaner ingredients list
We’re not promising kale energy. Just a smarter snack.
Are you going to replace chips in supermarkets or stay online only?
We’ll start online first. If Australia backs the movement, we’ll take it to shelves.
Snacks don’t change until someone does it publicly.