Huhtamaki equips Unilever’s Carte D’Or ice cream with plastic-slashing paper tubs
02 Mar 2022 --- Huhtamaki is transitioning Unilever’s Carte D’Or ice cream packaging to recyclable paper tubs and lids with a layer of polyethylene for sealing. The move to paper-based packaging will help the brand eliminate more than 900 metric tons of virgin plastic in the UK annually.
Nadia Capovilla Andrietta, product development manager, and David Julian, global key account manager at Huhtamaki, tell PackagingInsights: “Paper has proven to be performant in the packaging industry for different applications, also under challenging filling, logistic and shelf life conditions.”
“The key point here is that it needs to last long enough for its application. In terms of costs, paper may be a bit more expensive than a plastic solution, however, the [environmental] sustainability credentials and excellent functionality deliver the value required.”
The new Carte D’Or packaging is already available across the UK and will be introduced across the brand’s entire ice cream range. The paper tubs and lids use 93% less plastic per tub, which translates to a “significant” reduction in the amount of plastic used annually.
“The new tubs are made of paper with a very thin layer of polyethylene used for sealing,” they add.
Furthermore, the packaging solution is made using fibers from Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certified sustainably managed forests.
Shaping and recycling challenges
The new Carte D’Or packaging is available across the UK and will be introduced across the brand’s entire ice cream range.
Capovilla Andrietta and Julian explain the main technical challenges when creating the tubs and lids were their non-round shape, which enhances the tendency for paper to return to its original form – called the “memory effect.”
This effect is “favorable” to the packaging “relaxation,” meaning it can suffer changes in dimensions over time. “So there was a need to guarantee the packaging would be fit for purpose and suitable for use at the customer’s production line even after it had been formed,” they explain.
“Overcoming this challenge required our material innovation, production and tooling expertise to make sure we would be able to control the pack dimensions through the value chain and over time.”
Capovilla Andrietta and Julian say another challenge was related to the fact that the company had to make the packaging components recyclable. “The maximum possible paper content was welcome and it meant we aimed at the lowest percentage of plastic content, which we overcame by making it only one-side coated.”
“This [solution] not only helped ensure the sealing of the tubs and lids and avoid any leakage, it also provided the requisite strength to the package,” they add.
Huhtamaki’s packaging goals
Huhtamaki wants to lead on environmentally sustainable packaging and ensure its products are recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2030.
Huhtamaki wants to establish itself as the first choice for environmentally sustainable packaging solutions, ensuring its products are recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2030.
“The shift in packaging for Carte D’Or addresses these key targets by halving the amount of plastic used by 2025 and rethinking plastic packaging to use less, better or no plastic,” says Herwin Wichers, head of Huhtamaki FMCG Category, Fiber Foodservice EAO.
“We develop fit-for-purpose packaging that is best suited for the product and the environment. It is also why we continue to innovate with more [environmentally] sustainable packaging, designed to play its role in delivering systemic change.”
Last year, Huhtamaki signed what it believes to be the largest solar power purchase agreement in the European packaging industry. Inked with energy company BayWa r.e., the deal is a major step toward achieving the company’s goal of using 100% renewable energy by 2030 and will cover roughly 80% of the Finnish packager’s electricity usage in Europe.
By Natalie Schwertheim
