Sheep's wool solution to insulated packaging
An exciting new market for sheep’s wool is growing with the success of woolcool® insulated packaging as the simple yet revolutionary alternative to polystyrene and polyethylene for distributing temperature sensitive products, from foods to pharmaceuticals.
woolcool® has just scooped two more prestigious awards which reflect the increasingly widespread recognition of the ingenious, sustainable and biodegradable sheep’s wool packaging. In November, woolcool® was awarded Best Eco-Friendly Product at the Green Business Awards and Sustainable Pack of the Year at the UK Packaging Awards 2010.
woolcool® is a highly versatile insulated packaging that has been proven to keep chilled contents consistently cooler for longer than polystyrene and polyethylene, maintaining temperatures below 5°c for at least 24 hours. Professional packaging designer, Angela Morris, conceived and developed woolcool® using British sheep’s wool, being nature’s original ’smart fibre’ for insulation applications, available in abundance and completely biodegradable.
Angela recognised how wool fibres are incredibly effective at absorbing and releasing moisture from the air to maintain stable temperatures. The wool is naturally washed, scoured, needle-felted and sealed within micro-perforated, recyclable food-grade film to provide an insulation lining in a range of recycled and recyclable cardboard delivery boxes. As a brand new product woolmail® also uses woolcool® insulation in a range of recyclable LDPE postal pouches, perfect for deliveries of products such as smoked salmon and deli items, either individually or within bigger hampers.
Among the professionals invited by HRH Prince Charles to launch his ’Wool Project’ earlier this year, Angela Morris passionately believes that harnessing the unique attributes of wool fibres for a wide range of commercial applications is vital for revitalising the market for sheep’s wool. Significantly, even the coarsest, crimped wools such as Herdwicks, work particularly well for insulated packaging despite traditionally having little value for clothing.
