The sea freight version of the Eco-Safe+ thermal cover is protective packaging for temperature-sensitive goods. Manufacturer Ecocool combines a thermal cover for palletised goods with a so-called WaterBlanket, a blanket filled with water-based gel.
The solution from the Bremerhaven-based manufacturer protects sea freight in refrigerated containers during those critical periods in which the containers have no power connection during handling and no active cooling is guaranteed.
„The plus sign stands for the combination of two protective components and also for added safety. Our pharmaceutical customers use Eco-Safe+ in particular to protect their goods at a target temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. Here it offers reliable, GDP-compliant protection. Practical use in day-to-day operations at various customers confirms the results of our climate chamber tests.“
Dr Florian Siedenburg, Managing Director Ecocool
As pharmaceutical transport must be carried out in accordance with EU guidelines on Good Distribution Practice (GDP) and storage conditions, transport is a logistical challenge, especially in the 2-8 degree window. A critical point in sea freight distribution is the loading of the reefer containers onto the ship. The palletised goods are delivered to the port in actively temperature-controlled reefers. However, the sea containers often have to be temporarily stored at the quay for several hours before they are loaded onto the ship. The reefers cannot always be parked at locations with a power connection, so that the power supply to the cooling unit is sometimes interrupted for several hours. This is where conventional thermal bonnets reach their limits in the narrow temperature range of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.
The Eco-Safe+ thermal bonnet is suitable for these cases. It guarantees reliable protection, as the case study of an Ecocool customer shows. His pharmaceutical products are manufactured and packaged in Europe, before the goods are then sent by sea freight to North America or Asia. During quality control, minor temperature deviations were repeatedly detected along these supply chains. The investigation revealed that the waiting time until loading was up to 10 hours in individual cases. During this period, the temperature on the product even rose by up to 12 degrees Celsius in one case - an unacceptable deviation.
For this reason, at the request of the customer the evaluation of various thermal bonnets in a climate chamber test, to find a more suitable protective cover. Of all the products tested from various manufacturers, the Eco-Safe+ thermal bonnet was the only one to fulfil the technical requirements. „The technical challenge is this, that the target temperature must be kept within a very narrow temperature range over a long period of time with a low energy input“, explains Siedenburg. „By increasing the thermal mass of the palletised goods, we can achieve the desired temperature stability very cost-effectively. This is achieved with our product by means of an additional WaterBlanket. This makes Eco-Safe+ a very Good compromise between comparatively thin packaging and excellent temperature control. This is because the new combination uses less packaging material than the Pallet Shipper. Compared to a simple thermal bonnet, the temperature stability is also significantly better.“
Source: Ecocool
