Softbox introduces sustainable cold-chain packaging
UK-based packaging specialist Softbox has launched Tempcell Eco, a temperature-control parcel shipper for a range of pharmaceutical and clinical trial applications. It is made from 100% corrugated cardboard, which can be recycled curbside.
The container incorporates the manufacturer’s Thermaflute plastic-free insulation design. Cardboard is utilized to craft insulation layers that reportedly deliver thermal efficiency similar to those of traditional expanded polystyrene shippers (EPS).
After delivery to a clinical trial site, patient participant’s home or other location, the user can recycle the container via commercial or household recycling streams. The container comes in a flat-packed format, in order to help conserve space during storage prior to use, and it reportedly is simple to assemble.
Softbox CEO Kevin Valentine said the Tempcell Eco container is designed to meet a growing need to balance performance with environmental friendliness and overall sustainability.
“Amidst a growing sustainability movement to reduce waste, reuse, recycle and recover; there is a need for a temperature-controlled packaging solution that uses less material in design and manufacture and does not require any specialist recycling,” Valentine said. “Tempcell ECO is made from corrugated cardboard – it can be collected and recycled by your local authority while also providing qualified temperature control.”
In addition to a design that considers overall sustainability, Softbox reportedly also is working to positively impact the environment. The company has pledged to plant a tree every 10 Tempcell Eco products sold in the US; the company reports it already has donated enough funds to the charitable organization American Forests to plant more than 20,000 trees during the first quarter of 2020.
Earlier this year, Tempcell Eco received an Honorary Mention in the 2020 World Changing Ideas Awards. Produced by Fast Company magazine, the program is intended to recognize the work of companies demonstrating innovation designed to benefit society and the planet.
