A North Staffordshire company which provides insulated sustainable packaging to customers including Gousto, Fortnum and Mason and John Lewis has launched a scheme which it claims goes ‘beyond recycling.’
Stone-based Woolcool has spent more than 10 years developing its innovative packaging solutions after pioneering the use of 100 per cent natural sheep wool to insulate food and pharma products.
It has invested millions in research and development in the last decade and has picked up numerous accolades, including the prestigious Queen’s Award for Innovation, for its range of insulated boxes, pouches, envelopes and liners.
Now Woolcool has launched its Circular Economy Scheme – believed to be a first for a packaging company of this kind – which will enable customers to return wool insulation to be cleaned and reused.
Managing director Josie Morris said: “Through years of investment in research and testing, we have proven time and again that not only is the pure wool we use biodegradable and compostable, it outperforms man-made insulating materials such as polystyrene.
“So, while polystyrene and other non-sustainable alternatives clog up landfill sites, taking centuries to break down, our natural wool products biodegrade quickly, releasing valuable minerals into the earth.”
She added: “While the processes that manufacture man-made insulators may impact on the planet, the wool we use is an abundant natural material.
“But even with its fantastic bio-degradable properties, we want each and every one of the natural wool liners to have even less ecological impact. Wool is an amazing material and so we want to make sure we are reusing this as many times of possible.”
Under the scheme, Woolcool is utilising more than 7,000 stores and collection points of the CollectPlus parcel network in the UK.
Now the company is encouraging regular customers to collect as many insulated liners as they can, box them up and send them back for the wool to be washed and prepared for reuse.
Josie added: “This scheme allows the ecologically-minded consumer to return their wool insulated liners to us for re-use, for free.
“We are paying the costs of this scheme because it perfectly sums up our ecological ethos and determination to find packaging solutions that are not only good for customers, products and consumers, but they also help protect the earth.”
