As summer comes near, halcyon days spent frittering about under the warm sun approach us, blissfully punctuated by brief interludes of frozen snacks. These respites from the heat are often enveloped in layers of packaging, with every single serving of an ice cream sandwich or fruit pop nestled within a plastic wrapper. It’s a practical solution from a product protection perspective that prevents the sweet treats from smearing all over the inside of the box but comes at the expense of adding more plastic to the environment.
As part of an effort to reduce plastic packaging, Unilever is trialing an innovative frozen pop design that negates the need for individual, single-serving wrappers this summer in response to customer feedback regarding plastic packaging.
“If successful and the feedback from customers is positive, this innovative pack could reduce the amount of plastic we use in the future to package our ice creams,” said Unilever’s Noel Clarke in Metro.
Inspired by coffee cups, the new packaging is made from polyethylene-coated cardboard, which means it still has some plastic-just 5%- and can be widely recycled in the UK.
The polyethylene coating allows Solero to construct boxes with individual compartments, each housing a fruit pop, which possibly means that each serving gets a little more protection from jostling and damage in transit, an added plus. No wrappers also means one less barrier between lips and frozen pops, hardly ever a bad thing.
The new packaging will be available in the UK starting June 17 through online supermarket Ocado on a trial basis.
