Unilever heats up freezers to cool off emissions

Unilever has launched a pilot program that will see it increasing the temperature of its freezers to reduce their carbon emissions while still allowing the ice-cream products inside them to stay chilled.

According to the company, temperatures being increased to -12°C may see the greenhouse gas emissions reduced by about 20–30% for each freezer. Its retail freezers are currently kept at -18°C and Unilever is hoping that increasing the temperature of these last-mile freezer cabinets is adopted by other ice-cream manufacturers.

The pilot is starting in Germany this month and a second will begin in Indonesia in 2023. With the emissions from retail ice-cream freezers accounting for 10% of the company’s total value change greenhouse gas footprint, Unilever is hoping to institute the change widely if the results of the pilot are positive.

“These pilots will provide valuable information on how much energy we can save and how our ice-cream products perform in warmer freezers to ensure we deliver the same great-tasting ice cream,” said Matt Close, President Ice Cream, Unilever. “We’re actively seeking to collaborate with partners from across the ice cream and frozen food sectors to drive industry-wide change, so the collective positive impact is far greater.”

The pilot is one part of Unilever’s push to reduce its carbon emissions under its Climate Transition Action Plan.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Olena Bloshchynska