Packaging for ice cream wins international acclaim

Norwegian ice cream producer Diplom-Is has won the International Ice Cream Consortium (IlCC) award for best packaging solution, which is produced by Berry Superfos.

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The introduction of a new colour, reduction of excess plastic, and other design modifications are among the measures contributing to Diplom-Is winning the International Ice Cream Consortium (IlCC) award for 'best packaging solution' for the Royal brand."

First, collaborating with packaging supplier Berry Superfos, Diplom-Is pioneered the use of the new colour, "non-carbon black," making the plastic containers for Royal ice cream easier recyclable for the first time.

“Our switch to non-carbon black has resulted in up to 130 tonnes of plastic annually going from being unrecyclable to becoming easier for recycling*,” says Packaging Developer Almantas Dubra from Diplom-Is.

In contrast to traditional carbon black, the new non-carbon black packaging is detectable by Near Infra-Red (NIR) scanners for waste sorting processes. This means that the containers can be sorted for recycling purposes. Berry Superfos employs a special high-quality non-carbon black masterbatch with special pigments to enhance NIR technology detection and sorting.

Further enhancements
Continuing their commitment to packaging innovation, Diplom-Is, with the assistance of Berry Superfos, introduced a design tweak in 2022 for its 0.9-liter Royal containers to address issues of boxes sometimes sticking together during production. According to Diplom-Is, this design alteration significantly diminishes plastic waste in Diplom-Is’ production.

"We are constantly striving for improvement, and our work on the Royal portfolio exemplifies this," says Almantas Dubra.

* Estimation, recyclability will depend on the availability of recycling infrastructure in the region of disposal.