By Michael Susin

Unilever said it will grant a free non-exclusive license to the ice-cream industry for its patents regarding formulas that can withstand higher temperatures in order to reduce energy use, costs and freezer emissions.

The Anglo-Dutch retailer on Thursday said it will offer 12 patents to the industry for the reformulation of ice cream products that remain stable at freezer temperature of minus 12 degrees Celsius, rather than the current industry standard of minus 18 Celsius.

"It is hoped that by sharing these patents with other ice cream manufacturers the industry will be able to move towards more energy efficient freezer cabinets across the globe," Unilever said.

The company said that two pilot projects recently confirmed a energy reduction of around 25% per freezer cabinet at minus 12 Celsius.

"We hope our peers and partners from across the ice cream sector will benefit and work to tackle emissions across the industry," chief research and development officer of the Ice Cream division, Andy Sztehlo, said.

The emissions from retail ice cream freezers are responsible for 10% of Unilever's value chain greenhouse gas footprint, it added. The company expects to achieve net zero emissions across its value chain by 2039 and to halve the emissions impact of its products by 2030 from 2010 levels.

Write to Michael Susin at michael.susin@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 09, 2023 08:31 ET (13:31 GMT)

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