Unilever is awarded the “Made for Recycling” seal from Interseroh for Cremissimo packaging

Cologne. It is scientifically proven: the Cremissimo ice cream packaging from Unilever has a very good level of recycling capability – and has been awarded the “Made for Recycling” seal of quality from Interseroh. This seal is only awarded to packaging which achieves a total score of 18-20 out of a 20 possible points according to a scientific method of evaluation developed by Interseroh in combination with realistic empirical values. The packaging from Cremissimo was awarded a total of 19 points. The testing standard was developed together with the bifa environmental institute, before subsequently being reviewed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV.

“As far as we are concerned, climate and resource protection are our daily responsibility. This means we are working on the development and implementation of sustainable solutions every day,” explains Susanne Lutkat, Category Business Team Leader Dessert & Tea. “The Made for Recycling seal from Interseroh provides us with great confirmation that we’re on the right tracks.” The Cremissimo ice cream packaging is made 100 percent from polyolefins and without recycling-unfriendly barriers which are usually used to protect the product against external influences. The Cremissimo packaging provides the optimum product protection even without these barriers and is also reusable for the storage of other food products. “In addition to the reduction of new plastic during the manufacturing of packaging, our top priority is to increase its recycling capability, and – where possible – to work with mono materials,” highlights Lutkat.

“Simple changes also have a positive impact on the recycling capability of packaging,” explains Markus Müller-Drexel, Managing Director of INTERSEROH Dienstleistungs GmbH. “Our ‘Made for Recycling’ service provides businesses with tangible opportunities for successfully reconciling the increased requirements in terms of product protection and closed-loop circulation.”

The importance of the recycling of recyclable materials for easing the burden on the climate, which is urgently required, is also demonstrated by the “resources SAVED by recycling” study by the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT. On this basis, the ALBA Group, to which Interseroh belongs, saved 4.4 million tonnes of climate-damaging greenhouse gases in 2018 by circulating 5.6 million tonnes of recyclable materials. This corresponds to one percent of Germany's CO2 savings compared with 1990, or the impact on climate protection to be achieved by a mixed forest that covers 441,000 hectares.

About the “Made for Recycling” valuation method:

To assess the recycling capability of packaging, together with the bifa environmental institute specialising in technical environmental protection, Interseroh has developed a three-stage points system. In the first stage, it is determined whether the consumer can assign the packaging to the right collection system without any problems. In the second stage, a verification takes place as to how the packaging performs during the sorting. Are the currently available sorting technologies able to sort the packaging into the right material fraction – or do certain materials prevent a clear allocation? In the third stage, an evaluation takes place as to whether the packaging is suitable for material recycling, or whether labels, colours or barriers make the recycling process more difficult. Packaging barriers are usually used to protect the product from exterior influences and to guarantee the product attributes. They serve the purpose of providing protection against UV or oxygen infiltration, for example.

The greater the number of points the packaging achieves on a scale of 0 to 20, the more easily and better it can be recycled. The “Made for Recycling” service also fulfils the requirements of the minimum standards for measuring the recycling capability of packaging of the German Central Packaging Register (ZSVR) which have applied since 1 September 2019.

About Unilever:

Unilever is a leading international manufacturer of consumer goods. The company distributes food products, body care products, detergents and household cleaning products to 190 countries which are used by some 2.5 billion consumers every day. Unilever has more than 155,000 employees worldwide, and in 2018 achieved a turnover of 51 billion euros. The Unilever group includes some of the world's best known and most popular brands, such as Knorr, Bertolli, Lipton, Dove, Duschdas, Axe, Rexona, Coral, Langnese and Ben & Jerry’s.

Unilever has set itself the following goals: 

•             to support more than one billion people in improving their health and wellbeing by 2020,

•             to reduce the environmental impact of our products by half by 2030, and

•             to improve the living conditions of millions of people by 2020.

Unilever creates corporate value by increasing growth and trust and by reducing costs and risks. Our brands, which support a sustainable way of life, are growing 46 percent more quickly and account for 70 percent of our growth in 2018.

In the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, in 2019, Unilever is occupying a leading position once again. The company intends to achieve a positive CO? balance in its production processes by the year 2030. Unilever has also ensured that 100 percent of its plastic products are completely reusable, recyclable or biodegradable by 2025. By 2025, the amount of new plastic to be used is to be reduced by half, meaning the use of 350,000 fewer tonnes of new plastic for packaging

Further information about the company is available here: www.unilever.com and at www.unilever.de.

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