The Wool Packaging Company is working with logistics group AKW to produce ‘eco-friendly’ insulated packaging as a cold chain solution.
Woolcool insulated packaging, made using sheep’s wool, is seen as an alternative for distributing temperature sensitive goods including fresh and frozen foods and pharmaceuticals.
The specialist Contract Packing Division of AKW takes the naturally washed wool fleeces and packs it into branded recyclable polyethylene food-grade film pockets, then seals them in a bespoke machine.
The process is carried out for all online orders of Woolcool and in scheduled production runs during seasonal peaks for Wool Packaging Company’s customers, which include UK food retailer Abel & Cole.
Having transformed Abel & Cole’s distribution strategy led the packaging company to be credited as Highly Commended Runner-Up in the Supply Chain Solution of the Year category of the UK Packaging Awards 2010, says AKW.
In the pre-Christmas period 2010 AKW had three dedicated lines of machine operators and specialist packers operating 24 hours a day, six days a week, to meet the high demand.
To ensure the flexibility and quick turnaround required by Wool Packaging Company, AKW holds the components for Woolcool on site at the premier 26 Bond warehousing facility in the heart of Trafford Park. AKW distributes the product through the transport side of the business, AK Worthington.
Angela Morris, CEO of The Wool Packaging Company, says: “AKW allows us to focus on developing the new lines and bespoke designs in insulated packaging that our clients from diverse business sectors are now demanding for their temperature sensitive products.”
