How to Keep Ice Cream from Melting - Eco Insulated Pouch

How We Eco-Friendly Help Keep Ice Cream Frozen During Last-Mile Delivery

Case Study

In today’s world where home delivery is king, delivering ice cream without it melting is no small feat—especially during last-mile transit.

In the case of perishable goods, such as ice cream, this delivery method is crucial to ensuring the goods arrive in acceptable condition.

Even slight increases in temperature during transit can affect ice cream texture, consistency, and customer satisfaction. A rise above -12°C (10°F) can cause partial melting and refreezing — leading to ice crystals and degraded quality. For frozen goods like ice cream, maintaining a stable cold chain is non-negotiable.

See how IPC helped a brand overcome this issue with our sustainable and high-performance insulated pouch.

Client’s Challenge: How to Keep Ice Cream from Melting

The grocery retailer approached IPC with the desire to procure a small eco-friendly pouch liner solution that could be used to maintain the temperature of their ice cream once it leaves their distribution center for its final destination.

Our Recommendation: EcoLiner® Pouch for Ice Cream Last Mile Delivery

IPC recommended its EcoLiner Insulated Pouch which provides high performance insulation through environmentally friendly materials which can be custom designed to fit all sorts of ice cream containers.

IPC’s EcoLiner insulated pouch protecting a pint of ice cream during last-mile delivery

But why EcoLiner?

Effective thermal protection for 48 hours+. The pouch provides effective temperature control for refrigerated, frozen, and room temperature products for transit durations of more than 48 hours.
Environmentally friendly materials. Built with the environment in mind, EcoLiner insulated mailers are made using eco-friendly, biodegradable materials; cotton-based panels wrapped in a bio-based film.
Space-saving design. The padded pouches are shipped in a compressed, space-saving form, allowing your business to benefit substantially from reduced shipping and warehousing costs.

EcoLiner Insulated Pouch Performance Test

IPC was tasked with developing a test for the worst-case scenario – extreme summer conditions – to assess if the ice cream stays below the 0⁰C threshold for four hours. The study used a constant ambient temperature of 30⁰C with a 1” EcoLiner pouch insulating a pint of ice cream preconditioned at -12⁰C. This packout is optimal for shipping single-piece containers across short transit times.

For optimal temperature logging, a thermocouple probe was inserted 2 inches deep inside the ice cream container through a hole drilled through the container’s lid. One final thermocouple probe was placed on the surface of the EcoLiner pouch to log the ambient temperature conditions of the oven.

Temperature chart showing EcoLiner insulated pouch maintaining ice cream below freezing during 4-hour summer shipment.

Results: Stable Frozen Temperatures & Reduced Ice Cream Melt Risk

The grocery retailer determined that EcoLiner’s insulated pouches provided more than adequate protection of their ice cream products for last mile transports. Because these results were gathered from extreme summer temperatures, these pouches can be used in all other seasonal temperatures with assurance. The company regularly uses EcoLiner pouches to date for their last mile transit solutions.

Request a EcoLiner free sample

IPC’s Eco-Friendly Packaging Supplies for Last Mile Delivery

Need a tailored pouch or liner for your specific packaging format? IPC offers custom sizing and branding to fit your operational needs and elevate customer unboxing experience — while maintaining thermal protection.