Merck, a leading science and technology company, will transition from traditional EPS insulation to Planet Protector Group's innovative Woolpack insulation for cold-chain shipments of products for its Life Science business in Australia.
This move is expected to replace 300m3 or 3.6 tonnes of non-recyclable EPS per year.
The wool-based packaging solution is validated for one-day shipments of pharmaceutical products under Australian summer conditions.
Woolpack eliminates EPS materials from cold-chain shipments requiring temperature regulation between 2°C and 8°C in Australia.
The company will further reduce waste by printing packing labels directly onto the fibreboard box instead of applying separate labels.
“By moving to wool- and fibreboard-based insulation for cold-chain shipments, we offer our customers sustainable packaging solutions without sacrificing our customary one-day transit time,” said Rebecca Lee, managing director at Merck Life Science.
“This transition reflects Merck's dedication to reducing our environmental footprint and promoting a more sustainable value chain.”
This initiative, the first of its kind for Merck’s Asia-Pacific region, reinforces the company’s commitment to sustainability and directly contributes to Merck’s SMASH Packaging strategy, which aims to systematically improve sustainability of new and existing packaging to support the company’s sustainability strategy.
Merck has defined ambitious goals to be achieved by 2030 and 2040 on its global sustainability strategy, which have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative in May 2022.
These include achieving human progress for over one billion people through sustainable science and technology by 2030, fully integrating sustainability into all value chains by 2030, and achieving climate neutrality and reducing resource consumption by 2040.
