This April, the organic lolly company, Lickalix will be the first iced treat company in the world to introduce plastic free, compostable packaging with the plastic free trust mark awarded by The Plastic Planet.
The lolly packaging can be composted in a food waste bin and will decompose within 12 weeks, compared to the 400 years (or forever) it takes plastic to breakdown! The packaging will also be marine compostable which means that the packaging will organically decompose if it ends up in the ocean, harming no wildlife.
Lickalix always believed in the mission to provide an organic, all-natural and free-from alternative to have in every family’s freezer. This mission hasn’t changed and after a successful year in 2018, the mission expanded further to create change and to take more responsibility for their plastic footprint. After many months of research, Lickalix decided to go 100% plastic-free.
Food retailers are under increasing pressure, from both consumers and government, to reduce the amount of plastic packaging and food waste that is being consumed and thrown out, with specific emphasis on single-use plastic. Lickalix is aiming to demonstrate to the frozen category that plastic free alternatives exist and can be successfully used.
Over the last six decades, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic has been created and of that 8.3 billion tons, only 9% has been recycled (National Geographic, 2018).
A whopping 88% of UK shoppers now want on-pack information on packaging sustainability and 68% of UK shoppers say the environmental impact of a product’s packaging affects their purchasing choice (Edie, 2018).
'Single-use' has been named Collins’ Word of the Year and with product packaging playing an important role in creating a more sustainable global economy, consumers want and need brands to play their part in this plastic-free movement to give them choice in the supermarket and retail aisles. Consumers are more likely to purchase brands that help them make a more sustainable choice and the product packaging plays an important factor in this (Raconteur, 2017).
The founders of Lickalix, Karis and Dominic Gesua, have been thinking about changing their packaging and it is finally becoming a reality. They said, “We are only a small family business but we want to lead the way for everyone to invest in sustainable packaging to reduce plastic use and to make the planet a happier place to live in.
'Retailers can benefit from our plastic free ice lolly packaging because it’s compostable, the products are more profitable than other competitors, customers demand it which leads to increase in demand and footfall and it’s what consumers want!”
