Protecting temperature-sensitive goods at any time and in any place was the aim of the Munich-based company Easy2cool when it developed Paperfloc. Today, the sustainable insulation material made from recycled waste paper is mainly used to ship foodstuffs. Special solutions for the pharmaceutical sector are due to be launched this year.
In online retail Increasingly more food shipped. However, fruit, vegetables, cold meats, cheese or entire cooking boxes need to be sent on their way well and, above all, constantly chilled. Until now, insulated packaging has generally been made of expanded polystyrene (EPS) and plastic - a burden on the climate, water and soil due to the high energy requirements during production and the problematic disposal after use.
Holistic cooling concept with paperfloc
The Munich-based company Easy2cool a few years ago in a research project with the Chair of Paper Technology at the Dresden University of Technology developed the insulating packaging paperfloc as a sustainable, ecological alternative to conventional shipping coolers. The basic raw material consists of recycled waste paper, which comes from production waste from the paper and packaging industry.
The insulation made from paper flakes is therefore Significantly more resource-efficient in production than polystyrene and can easily be returned 100 per cent to the existing recycling cycle. Compared to EPS (polystyrene), the production of cellulose fibres requires around a quarter less energy from non-renewable sources.
The result has already been honoured with numerous awards, including the IF Design Award 2018, the German Packaging Award 2018 and the Corrugated Board Innovation Award for a Temperature-controlled packaging developed jointly with Thimm, which uses paperfloc as an insulation technology.
Sustainable shipping packaging is in demand. „Since the lockdown, online food retail has been booming. We are receiving enquiries from all directions: from existing customers who are currently growing strongly as well as from suppliers who are just entering the food sector. There are start-ups or long-established companies that want to explore new sales channels,“ says founder and Managing Director Sebastian Leicht. „For many, the goal used to be to be listed at Aldi, Lidl and the like, but now they want to open their own online channel.“
Passive solution for temperature-sensitive logistics
Today is Easy2cool one of the leading providers of integrated cooling concepts for transport and logistics with over 40 employees at the Munich headquarters and the production site in Lichtenfels, Upper Franconia.
Founder and Managing Director Marco KnoblochWe are currently mainly active in the food sector, but in future we want to open up new markets, expand our range and develop new cellulose and paper solutions. This is what we are planning, into the pharmaceutical market this year to enter the market. We have already initiated developments in this area and are making good progress. Another Internationalisation is the topic of the future“We are currently active in the DACH region, but want to expand beyond that."
According to a study conducted by the VDI on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, in which the energy and material efficiency of various insulation materials was compared, insulation made from loose cellulose fibres performs best in the refrigerated shipping sector. The reason for this is the Extremely low energy consumption with negative CO2 emissions and recyclability.
For this reason, cellulose is used as an insulating material for the paperfloc insulated packaging. Sebastian Leicht: „We're not just talking about chilled food that needs to be transported. It's also always about for temperature-sensitive goods, which, for example, requires a temperature range of +5 to +15° C and needs to be protected from cold temperatures in winter, for example. We still see potential in this area.“
Easy2cool packaging could be used, for example, if you want to Pick up to-go food and bring it home hot or for the pizza that the delivery service brings.
