At Sonoco ThermoSafe, we are committed to sustainability and reducing our environmental impact. Our temperature-controlled packaging solutions, including expanded polystyrene (EPS), paper-based insulations and various gel packs, are designed not only for performance but also for responsible disposal. 

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)  

EPS is lightweight and highly effective for insulation. It can be recycled into new products, such as insulation panels and other packaging materials. We encourage our customers to return used EPS to designated recycling centers. You can recycle your EPS packaging by taking it to a specified drop off location. Make sure your EPS is clean and free of any tape, plastic film, labels, loose parts or glued-on cardboard. Empty any coolers or other EPS cartons since food or medical waste is prohibited. 

 Paper-Based Insulation 

Our paper-based insulations provide excellent thermal performance. They feature the How2Recycle widely recyclable label, indicating that it can be recycled through curbside or drop-off programs in at least 60% of U.S. communities and 50% of Canadian communities. The paper-based insulation along with the outer box can be recycled through most curbside recyclable programs. 

Gel Packs 

Our gel packs are crucial for maintaining temperature of our customer’s products. After their lifecycle, they can often be disposed of in regular waste, but we recommend checking with local waste management for any specific recycling programs. Consider repurposing them for home use, such as keeping food cool during picnics! 

Case Study: Recycling Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)

EPS is an important packaging material in most healthcare supply chains, due to it’s high insulation properties and low cost. However, in healthcare last miles, clinics and hospitals find it difficult to dispose of or know how to recycle.

For one global life sciences company that ThermoSafe partnered with, the goal was to equip their end users with a way to return and recycle the Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) coolers.

ThermoSafe and the company collaborated to set up a platform for users to request return labels. In the first 3 months of the program, the company has seen great engagement, especially for the larger EPS coolers, including:

Case Study: Reuse of Durable Containers 

ThermoSafe’s reusable Durable containers are a highly sustainable solution for temperature-sensitive shipping and storage, designed to be used multiple times, significantly reducing carbon impact.

They are particularly effective for shipping and storing dry ice, ensuring the safe transport of perishable goods, vaccines, and other critical pharmaceuticals. By enabling repeated use, ThermoSafe Durable dry ice containers minimize waste, lower overall emissions, and contribute to a more circular economy, aligning with global sustainability efforts.

Read our Dry Ice Best Practice Guides

Reusable Cold Chain Packaging

Keen to have sustainable packaging, but paper-based insulation is not offering the thermal protection your product needs?  This is where reusable and rental packaging comes in. Reusable, rental packaging may sound tricky. But not if you have an experienced, reliable packaging partner like ThermoSafe. 

Benefits of Reusable, Rental Programs

We recognize the unique challenges faced by life sciences and healthcare, including pharmaceutical and biotech industries when it comes to transporting temperature-sensitive products. Our parcel rental packaging program, Orion® and pallet rental program, Pegasus ULD offer innovative solutions designed to meet these challenges while promoting sustainability.

Case Study: Reuse and Rental of Parcel Packaging

Reusable rental packaging is a mindset change and paradigm shift for pharmaceutical supply chain organizations. ThermoSafe’s Orion rental operations and rental experts become a strategic partner, offloading operational burdens and cost from the pharmaceutical shipper. In the case of this biotechnology customer, they realized significant savings through the Orion reusable rental parcel program, including:

• Removed 25,000+ boxes from the landfill 
• Decreased the waste weight by 98% 
• Over 50% cost savings per cold chain box including prepaid return logistics 
• Increased qualified performance from 56 to 120 hours 

Want to learn more? 

Read the Rental Packaging Case Study

Case Study: Reusable Air Freight Container

ThermoSafe’s customer, a global medical device company has enhanced its global shipping operations with a focus on sustainability. Shipping medical device tests and reagents worldwide, including to Italy, China, and Singapore, the company transitioned to the reusable Pegasus ULD, the only advanced passive Temperature Controlled Container (TCC) on the market.

In addition to energy and waste savings, the Pegasus ULD also offers superior cargo capacity, easier and safer loading, enhanced payload security with tamper-evident seals, real-time telemetry for shipment monitoring, and robust thermal performance, maintaining 2-8°C for over 300 hours in an unbroken cold chain—all while reducing the company’s environmental footprint. 

Sustainability Benefits:

• Reusable design reduces waste and promotes sustainable practices
• Lower energy consumption compared to active systems

Learn More About the Pegasus

Recycle & Reuse, but first let’s Reduce?

Reduce

The most preferred way to minimize waste is to reduce the amount of material used through light-weighting or right-sizing the packaging. ThermoSafe engineers can help you optimize package designs for performance, environmental impact, and cost.

Reuse

The second most preferred way to minimize waste generated is to reuse the packaging. Our Orion® and Pegasus ULD® are established return programs for parcel and air freight, respectively. The packaging containers are collected, cleaned, refurbished (if necessary), and reused improving the circular economy, minimizing waste, and reducing environmental impact.

Recycle

Recycling is a way to collect and reprocess used materials into new products or packaging. The recycled content can be incorporated back into new packaging, reducing the need for virgin material and minimizing waste sent to landfill.

Recover

Unrecyclable waste sent to incineration or landfill facilities, that can capture methane, can be converted into usable heat or electricity through combustion processes.

Dispose

A less preferred method to dispose of packaging is in a landfill, that doesn’t have waste to energy capabilities.

Join Us on Our Sustainability Journey

We understand that sustainability is a long-time journey and we are positioned to meet you where you are at. ThermoSafe offers a vast portfolio of temperature-controlled packaging solutions to meet your product needs while also optimizing for environmental impact and cost. Our material neutral approach allows us to offer a range of packaging solutions, while also equipping you with the data and knowledge to define what sustainable packaging means for your company based on your priorities. Together, we can make a difference!