Reusable Packaging News
RPN
from paper-derived material and other biomaterial and is curbside recyclable.
The new product likely will further enhance the company’s competitive position against its primary target, EPS foam (Styrofoam) packaging.
In the same month the company also announced it was more than doubling space for its manufacturing operations in Richmond. TemperPack, which relied on a supplier to recycle burlap and process it into panels, will have its own manufacturing operations to produce ClimaCell.
Rapid growth
Only four years ago TemperPack was a garage business founded by three young friends. They were focused on developing a ‘green’ alternative to Styrofoam and quickly latched onto the meal kit industry as it began taking off.
The company’s first customer was Plated, one of the earliest companies that began offering meal kits shipped to consumers containing perishable ingredients they prepare at home. “They were the first to push sustainability,” said John Briney, TemperPack’s director of marketing, packaging that would generate as little waste as possible.
The meal kit market “has proven to be a little volatile,” noted Briney. There’s been some “pain” in the industry, he added. Packaging, particularly Styrofoam containers, adds up and is an inconvenience for consumers. They want packaging that can be broken down with the corrugated boxes used to ship their meal kits. They also desire packaging that is more environmentally responsible — packaging that can be recycled instead of added to the solid waste stream.
“That’s the biggest argument,” said Briney, against Styrofoam. It is not (typically) recycled
and adds to the solid waste stream, eventually
ending up in a landfill. “It doesn’t break down,” he said.
Styrofoam containers have been used to ship perishables for more than 50 years. However, “Now people know they are an unnecessary evil,” said Briney.
TemperPack’s business model is helping businesses by providing them with sustainable packaging. Styrofoam packaging, made by many companies, has a price advantage, though. TemperPack offers a “premium product,” acknowledged Briney. “As we scale up we will be even more cost competitive.”
The meal kit industry is an “exploding territory,” observed Briney. The industry now has over 150 players, although only about 10 of them have over 90 percent of the volume, he said.
Consumers have been attracted to the ease and convenience of meal kits. However, the number who try it and later discontinue the service is “pretty dramatic,” said Briney. And one of the big reasons they drop the service is packaging waste, he added.
Customers don’t like packaging waste
Temperpack logoAlthough TemperPack’s first product was compostable, a lot of consumers do not have access to composting, noted Briney. The “holy grail” he said, is an insulated packaging material that is recyclable.
The company’s new insulated packaging product, ClimaCell, is made from paper-derived material — recycled paper — plus other bio-based material. Inch for inch, it performs the same as Styrofoam in terms of insulating capability and is moisture resistant. TemperPack allows for fully customized graphics and messaging to be printed directly on the insulation.
ClimaCell is curbside recyclable, so a meal kit consumer can put it in a recycling bin along with their flattened corrugated box. TemperPack has worked extensively with recycling centers to ensure that its product will be sorted with corrugated for recycling.
For its original product, TemperPack collaborated with a supplier that collected burlap bags used to ship coffee beans and other goods. The supplier shredded the used burlap bags and processed the jute material into panels that were shipped to TemperPack to be made into the final product. The company will continue to offer the jute-based insulated packaging product.