FINLAND (News release) -- Kotkamills' family of ISLA® Consumer Boards are complemented by the freshest members of the family. ISLA® Ice and ISLA® Cream broaden the use of non-plastic solutions in the food industry with the expansion to ice cream packaging.

Easily recyclable ISLA® Ice and ISLA® Cream barrier boards are especially suited for take-away and retail ice cream cups, bowls, and containers. ISLA® Ice and ISLA® Cream are a combination of innovative products that have been developed in parallel to work tightly together as raw materials for ice cream packaging.

Ice cream packaging has commonly relied Heavily on solutions based on plastics and plastic coatings. As an innovative Forerunner Kotkamills is among the first to provide a plastic-free and recyclable alternative for ice cream manufacturers, packaging converters, retailers, and consumers. ISLA® Ice functions as a sidewall material with an excellent printing surface, Enhancing the rich colors and vibrant visual appearance that are characteristic especially in retail ice cream packaging. ISLA® Cream is designed to function together as a high-performing material for the bottom of the container. The combination of the two Paperboards provides the high hygienic food safety and required resistance against grease and the Moisture of ice cream.

"In addition to our previously launched plastic-free barrier products, such as the ISLA® Duo for hot beverages, there has been high interest among our customers for plastic-free ice cream-specific Paperboard solutions. We have seen the expansion to this direction as a natural continuation in our R&D work. Now, with this new product combination, we offer value to our customers both in terms of Sustainability, especially with recycling and circularity possibilities, as well as by enabling excellent brand visibility with the top-class printing properties of the cup and container surfaces ", states Päivi Suutari, VP RDI at Kotkamills.

Both ISLA® Ice and ISLA® Cream are fully recyclable and repulpable solutions and are also available as PEFC ™ or FSC® certified, upon request. Additionally, the material fulfills the requirements for customers to apply for the Nordic Swan Ecolabel for the ice cream packaging.

"As our new ice cream cupstock materials are entirely repulpable, their fibers are easy to reuse up to six times when recycled properly. Therefore, the cups function as tools for the brands to show that they care about the environment ", comments Ari Tanninen, Senior Vice President, Consumer Boards.

"In conjunction with global Trends and legislative initiatives, the numerous branches and packaging industries are turning their focus to material solutions replacing plastics. As the recyclable and repulpable water-based dispersion barrier products are gaining Evermore interest as a sustainable alternative, the variety of end use applications is also expanding and we wish to be active in product development. Ice cream packaging and the new combination of ISLA® Ice and ISLA® Cream is a perfect example of this path, "says Kotkamills' CEO Markku Hämäläinen.