The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC), owner of Streets ice cream in Australia, has announced a new partnership with Seabin to help prevent and reduce marine pollution and strengthen efforts to help protect Australia’s coastlines.
The partnership reflects TMICC’s commitment to reducing its plastic footprint and improving sustainability outcomes as it continues to define its environmental responsibilities as a newly formed standalone business. Australians deeply value their coastal environments, and TMICC recognises its role in helping protect local marine ecosystems.
Seabin’s smart, data‑driven pollution‑capture units collect and analyse waste from marinas and urban harbours, providing insights into the types of plastics most commonly found in these environments.
Its monitoring in Sydney Harbour shows that soft plastics (18.69%) are the second‑largest category of waste collected, behind microplastics (54.77%). The data also indicates that around 1% of all plastic food wrappers recovered are Streets ice cream wrappers. While that proportion may appear small, it represents thousands of individual pieces of ice cream packaging entering the harbour — waste that can be easily prevented from getting there in the first place.
These insights underpin the partnership, which focuses on identifying opportunities to measure, monitor and reduce the proportion of Streets‑related soft plastic ice cream litter found in Sydney Harbour over time.
Scott Mingl, General Manager ANZ at The Magnum Ice Cream Company said the partnership is an important step in strengthening the businesses understanding of its environmental footprint.
“Australians care deeply about their oceans, and so do we. When Seabin first reached out to us with their waste report it was a moment for us to pause and reflect on our role in that picture.
“This partnership is about taking practical steps: supporting technology that helps remove plastics, working with real data that shows where waste may be coming from, and engaging with communities to encourage responsible disposal. We’re pleased to work with Seabin and to use these insights to help guide our long‑term approach.”
Pete Ceglinkski, CEO at Seabin echoed this sentiment. “Our vision is simple: if you’re part of the problem, you should be part of the solution. We all love ice cream — and because of that, everyone has a role to play.
“This partnership is a milestone for Seabin. We’re proud to work with TMICC to help address their plastic footprint, and we value their transparency in acknowledging their role and responsibility in keeping Sydney Harbour cleaner.
“We hope this dynamic partnership sets a precedent for other FMCG businesses to follow suit and prepare for the new and emerging nature‑positive market. The brand‑agnostic trends we observe underscore the need for industry, communities and organisations to work together. With TMICC’s support, we can continue strengthening our monitoring capabilities and expanding our prevention efforts.”
Through this partnership, TMICC will support Seabin’s efforts to:
- prevent and reduce plastic pollution entering Sydney Harbour
- measure and monitor soft-plastic pollution levels using Seabin’s data platform
- report transparently on the partnership’s environmental impact
- better understand the pathways and sources of ice cream packaging litter
- engage communities through education and awareness initiatives
- promote learnings publicly to encourage other brands to take responsibility for their plastic footprint