Wool-based vs insulated cardboard liners for food packaging

Woolcool is a brand that creates liners for boxes made from wool.

It is commonly used to ship food and beverages but has become popular for certain pharmaceutical, medical, health, and safety products. Some businesses even use it to keep flowers fresh during transit.

WoolCool requires 33% less water to make than cardboard/paper-based options. It can also reduce plastic by 10% through using fewer gel packs.

Not only is it a natural, renewable resource obtained from sheep with excellent insulation properties, but businesses have been finding creative ways to reuse WoolCool liners. This includes for gardening, pet bedding or arts and crafts projects.

Aside from its reputation, WoolCool can be difficult to dispose of and often needs clarification from the end user’s perspective. The returnable scheme from a single customer can often lead to associated costs, such as returnable labels and additional packaging.

Another disadvantage associated with WoolCool is confusion over the proper instruction and ability to compost it at home (which itself may not always be convenient in the first instance). More often than not, it contaminates other recycling processes, leading to indirect costs spent elsewhere.

The other common misconception is that whilst the material is biodegradable, it does not necessarily mean it doesn’t impact the environment. Some materials marked as biodegradable often leave traces of toxic residue from how microorganisms break it down. You can read more about the differences here.

What exactly are insulated cardboard liners? A specialised packaging material made from paper fibres and recycled paper to provide protection and insulation for frozen, chilled or ambient products.

Whilst not reusable like their counterpart WoolCool, they are fully recyclable and can be placed by end users into their kerbside recycling boxes, requiring minimal instruction.

Cardboard can be a cost-effective bespoke solution, where the packaging can be tailored entirely around your products, offering a degree of versatility that may suit various products.

Despite the liners’ size, they fit into a corrugated cardboard outer, offering additional protection against temperature fluctuations, general handling and transit.

Cardboard also provides a more budget-friendly option than WoolCool, making it an attractive choice for businesses on a budget.

Aside from all these advantages, adequate storage and proper use of a cardboard solution are required. Improper storage can lead to damp, useless cardboard that is not fit for purpose.

Cardboard insulation is typically a single-trip product, which, if a suitable returnable loop is available, can be more energy-intensive than a reusable alternative.

So when considering WoolCool vs insulated cardboard liners, how do you decide which one to use?

Well, these are the four main areas that you should assess:

• Product sensitivity.
• Envrionmental impact.
• Budget.
• Customisation.

Choosing between WoolCool and insulated cardboard liners depends on your specific product needs and sustainability practices.

Selecting the insulative liner based on your product will depend on how volatile your product can be towards temperature fluctuations and the duration of temperature stability.

If your business and customers place a high emphasis on sustainability, then consider whether the more easily recycled paper-based liners or the less energy-intensive (and reusable) WoolCool is the best option.

Depending on budget and financial strategy, cardboard is the more budget-friendly option.

If your packaging needs are unique and require custom sizing, cardboard packaging can offer greater flexibility in terms of design.