The key to delivering temperature-sensitive products fast while maintaining their quality and integrity is by using sustainable cold chain packaging. Your consumers want their cold chain products delivered in sustainable packaging. Sustainable cold chain packaging is no longer a feature or a nice-to-have option, it is a must. Just a couple of years ago the slogan: “Reduce, reuse, recycle” was so catchy. Now, due to the big impact of climate change, same-day delivery packaging and legal regulations, people see more clearly the impact that non-recyclable packaging has.
Customers care about a company’s reputation and when they find information that speaks about sustainability, they want to see action, not just words. A company’s sustainability program must be formed of solutions such as internal recycling programs, reusable and recyclable products, and energy conservation. Customers expect these changes, the competition is already doing it and governments demand it. Using sustainable chilled packaging solutions is a must.
What is Sustainable Chilled Packaging?
Sustainable chilled packaging is a sustainable solution when it comes to packaging options for cold chain products because it is reusable, recyclable, and eco-friendly. If you haven’t decided whether to use sustainable chilled packaging or not for the transportation of your perishable products, here are a few advantages on why you should switch. Sustainable chilled packaging is:
- Useful, and safe to use, for communities and individuals throughout its entire life cycle
- Fulfils the market standards for both cost and performance
- Produced, supplied, transported, and recycled with the help of renewable energy
- Made using best practices and clean production technologies
- Specially made to optimize materials and energy
- Recovered effectively and used in biological or industrial loop cycles
- Used by most of the cold chain logistics companies in the UK and EU.
Circular Economy and the Benefits of Sustainable Packaging
The circular economy is a system that focuses on reducing waste by keeping materials, products and energy for as much time as possible in the economic cycle.
The use of sustainable packaging is important for the circular economy because it allows companies and people to:
- Reduce waste and pollution by reusing materials longer
- Repurpose and reuse packaging before the packaging is eventually broken down into its reusable and recyclable parts
- Combine lean initiatives throughout the whole supply chain
- Recycle easily and repurpose packaging, products, and materials
When you prepare to transition to sustainable chilled packaging, make sure you have strategies in place to handle the core challenges that come with this change.
Costs:
Compared to traditional EPS packaging, sustainable chilled packaging can be a lot more expensive. Make sure you have a solution to handle the costs involved with manufacturing, supplying, purchasing, and distributing sustainable packaging.
Change:
Change is hard, especially at an executive level. Most companies are afraid to change because they don’t know if this change is going to be beneficial. They play it safe even though there are better packaging options.
Assurance:
Cold chain packaging has a golden rule – to protect perishable products. It can be difficult for companies and customers to fully trust a new packaging solution that is quite new and has not been tested by them.
Support:
Even though the packaging is recyclable, a lot of companies and communities don’t have the infrastructure to recycle packaging.
Availability:
Sustainable chilled packaging is still new, and for this reason, it makes it difficult for companies to buy, store and use consistently. This can cause problems when it comes to management strategies, efficiency and the trust and loyalty of the customers.
