Häagen-Dazs Is the Milk Man Now, Delivering Vegan Ice Cream in Reusable Pints

Soon, you’ll be able to get Häagen-Dazs vegan ice cream delivered to your door in packaging that won’t end up in the landfill.

The new program, called Loop, is a collaboration between Häagen-Dazs’ parent company Nestlé and TerraCycle, a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials. Announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, it takes the ethos of “reduce, reuse, recycle” to heart.

Instead of the classic cardboard pints, non-dairy flavors can be delivered in a reusable double-wall steel container – kind of like the milkman for the 21st century – that keeps “ice cream at optimal condition during transport and consumption.” Another feature of the packaging is a design that ensures that the vegan ice cream at the top melts faster than the bottom.

Kim Peddle-Rguem, president of Nestlé’s US ice cream division, told CNN that creating the innovative design was a “torture test” that took 15 tries to get right.

Customers have the choice of three vegan ice cream flavors: Chocolate Salted Fudge, Coconut Caramel and Mocha Chocolate Cookie. Once finished, the canister is collected, cleaned, and reused for future deliveries.

“Loop provides a much-needed innovation platform, challenging companies to take a fresh look at our value chains and integrate reusable product packaging as part of our efforts to waste-reduction,” said Laurent Freixe, Nestlé CEO for Zone Americas, in a statement. “Nestlé is proud to be a founding investor and partner of Loop. It’s a critical part of our commitment to work with consumers to protect our planet for future generations.”

How TerraCycle’s Loop Program Plans to Make an Impact

Häagen-Dazs’ vegan ice cream joins a growing roster of brands and products that will trial TerraCycle’s Loop program. Unilever, PepsiC,o and Danone are some of the major consumer goods companies joining Nestlé, according to CNN. All brands have noted that customers are increasingly demanding more environmentally-friendly products in lieu of plastic.

“Hopefully 50 years from now, we look at waste as a strange anomaly and we’re happy it’s over,” said Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle.

Loop will trial the program with 300 products to start, including cruelty-free and vegan-friendly soaps from eco-conscious home goods brand, Seventh Generation.

For now, Häagen-Dazs will trial 20,000 ice cream containers through TerraCycle’s Loop program.