Sustainability in cold chain solutions

Looking for a better cold chain solution for shipping of food products? Consider paper-based cold chain packing materials to reduce or eliminate plastic packaging that is hard to recycle, made from fossil fuels and takes hundreds of years to biodegrade. This is increasingly less acceptable to consumers. You may be surprised to learn how effective paper-based thermal protection products are whilst at the same time offering many cost and sustainability advantages.

Do you have a warehouse full of existing thermal protection solutions like EPS boxes? While EPS boxes and other plastic-based thermal protection solutions, or even wool- or cotton-based solutions or denim liners, are certainly an effective thermal protection approach, they also take up a great deal of space, both in your warehouse and in the product shipping process. Plus, their end-of-life disposal comes with many sustainability issues. In this article, we explain why paper-based thermal protection is a better choice for products requiring thermal protection for up to 48 hours. We also discuss how easy it is to convert your operation to this more sustainable and cost-effective choice with an on-demand system that produces paper pads on request.

The market for cold chain packaging is expected to grow by 19.4% from 2020 to 2027. To meet this growing demand, Ranpak is providing customers with a range of paper-based thermal protection solutions that are cost-efficient and sustainable. The Ranpak WrapPak® Protector solution is ideal for food companies shipping products requiring sustained frozen, chilled, and ambient temperature ranges. Ranpak paper-based packing solutions are curbside recyclable and a more sustainable and cost-effective solution than packing using traditional EPS boxes and other plastic-based materials.

“The e-commerce market for food and beverages in Europe has seen a dramatic increase as consumers experienced the convenience of online food ordering during the pandemic,” said Anne de Rouw, Business Development Manager Cold Chain Europe for Ranpak. “This includes meal kits, grocery deliveries, and specialty foods. In fact, 21% of the total food & beverages market is expected to be ordered through e-commerce by 2025. At the same time, consumers are looking for sustainable packing solutions and have a less-than-positive unboxing experience when they open a box full of plastic packing materials. That’s why Ranpak has placed significant focus on the WrapPak® Protector, our paper-based cold chain packing solution, which uses waved paper pads as thermal liners.”

In addition to the functionality and sustainability advantages of Ranpak cold chain solutions, food companies benefit from less space required in the warehouse. Ranpak provides both the WrapPak® Protector liner paper and the converter equipment required to generate the waved paper pads, enabling end-users to produce the packing material on demand.

How it works

Ranpak’s thermal packaging specialists work in partnership with customers to determine ideal configurations for packing specific products, whether they are ambient, chilled or frozen. This includes determining optimal sizes of corrugated boxes to best fit WrapPak® Protector waved paper pads; additionally, Ranpak can recommend sustainable cool packs such as Recycold phase change material (PCM) if required. Ranpak’s Packaging Engineering specialists conduct thermal tests in a controlled climate chamber, enabling them to develop customized solutions for customers. WrapPak® paper is uncoated Kraft paper, 100% recyclable, renewable and biodegradable, and moisture resistant. As with all Ranpak paper-based packing solutions, WrapPak® Protector liner is manufactured from FSC®-certified materials.

WrapPak® Protector solutions are ideal for products that require a temperature-controlled environment, products that require storage in chilled conditions, and frozen products.

For more information, visit: ranpak.com/uk/keep-it-cool

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