Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: How Woolcool® Does Packaging Better.
At Woolcool®, sustainability isn’t a word we use flippantly. We design our products with future-proofing in mind, creating the genuine ability for our range to sustain, in every sense of the word, long into the future.
We go beyond carbon, reviewing beginning to end of life of materials, and taking its impact on nature into account too. From Woolcool’s invention in early 2000s, the concept of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle has been a core principle shaping everything we do, from design to delivery.
While recycling often takes the spotlight in mainstream discussions, we believe it’s a smaller piece of a larger puzzle. True sustainability begins with elimination, however there are certain applications when elimination of material is not possible.
The next best step is to focus on the reduction of the materials we use in the first place, followed by finding new ways to reuse materials before finally considering how to responsibly recycle. Here’s how Woolcool® leads the way in all three.
Our material of choice is 100% Wool. We don’t need to make up terms like ‘eco fibre’ or ‘green foam’ to try mask it’s nature.
REDUCE – Less is always more!
Packaging is often viewed as wasteful. There are obviously examples where this is the case. However, what is in the box in many cases is vital. It can be protective, informative and provides security in shipments. At Woolcool®, our product plays a vital role in shipping temperature sensitive products safely, hygienically and so they arrive suitable for human consumption. Our customers are shipping everything from organic food items to life savings treatments.
Whilst we can claim we have partly achieved the goal of elimination in that we have created a viable, sustainable and performance beating replacement for Polystyrene, we recognise that we are still utilising materials, so need to be respectful of what we are using, why we are using it and how much we are using.
Our first priority is to ensure we keep any material use to a minimum. The question is always, how can we reduce? The result of reduction means using fewer resources, generating less waste, and creating solutions that use the right material, for the right application.
Our material of choice is 100% Wool. We don’t need to make up terms like ‘eco fibre’ or ‘green foam’ to try mask it’s nature. Our Wool is wool, it is natural, compostable, rapidly renewable, reusable, recyclable and extremely abundant…just look around you!
Due to it’s very nature as a temperature regulator on the sheep, its performance properties mean that less material is required, it takes up less space than manmade insulators, and so has a smaller carbon footprint. As a result, it also bring cost savings across the logistics and supply chain. In fact, our solutions typically use around half the amount of material compared to cardboard-based alternatives. That alone has a major impact on waste and emissions. Not to mention the impact of deforestation and the increased demand for cardboard. No matter how sustainable a material appears, overused in the wrong application will result in creating imbalance.
Because wool retains temperature so effectively, our customers need fewer ice packs to achieve the same results – which in turn reduces energy usage and overall shipment weight. Our solutions are also more compact, allowing for fewer overall shipments. Fewer pallets on the road means fewer emissions and a reduced carbon footprint.
Importantly, wool itself is a material that will often go to waste – a by-product of the farming industry that has long gone undervalued.
Instead of manufacturing something entirely new, we’re making the most of what nature already provides, without cutting down trees or consuming virgin resources. This smarter use of materials helps businesses lower their Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) costs too, as they benefit from lighter, lower-impact systems.
REUSE – Extending Life, Inspiring Creativity.
If all possible reduction is achieved, our next stage is to explore reuse – reuse can take multiple forms, and our products are designed with reuse in mind.
One of the things we love most is seeing how our customers find new ways to use Woolcool® in and around the home.
That’s why we launched our #LetsBoxClever campaign – to share practical, creative ideas to give a new life to our material. From filling for crochet and knitting projects, to pet bedding, craft storage and draught excluders, Woolcool® has found a second life in homes across the UK and beyond.
Beyond that, we’re proud to see Woolcool® being donated to schools, community projects and allotments, and animal shelters. The unique natural properties of wool makes it ideal for outdoor use in gardens, lining animal beds, or keeping small spaces warm. When the ability to sustain for the future is actively designed into a product, it’s not just reusable – it’s resourceful.
RECYCLE – Responsible End of Life.
When a material can no longer be reused or repurposed, recycling then becomes the final step. Once again, at Woolcool®, we are different. Our wool insulation technically starts life as a recycled material – reclaimed wool that would otherwise been burnt or dug into the ground. By giving it a new purpose without intensive processing or need for toxic chemicals, we’re already achieving the ultimate goal of circularity from the start.
When it’s time to dispose of used liners, they can be added to garden waste or compost heaps, or simply dug into the ground. Wool naturally biodegrades, releasing nutrients into the soil and leaving nothing but goodness behind.
And unlike synthetic alternatives, wool doesn’t contribute to microplastic pollution. There’s no harmful breakdown or toxic residue – just natural fibres going back to nature. We also offer clear guidance on how to recycle other packaging components, such as the film and outer box, so that every part of our product has a clear, sustainable end-of-life pathway.
Every material we use has a reason.
Customers also have the option to send liners back to us through our return scheme, where they’ll be recycled into either new Woolcools or find a new life in a mattress. However, while this is a great option when reuse, repurposing, local recycling or composting isn’t available, or when you have an abundance of Woolcool®, it’s not always the most environmentally efficient option for posting single units of Woolcool®. If sent in small numbers, this increases carbon emissions and transport-related impacts, which is why we always recommend home recycling or composting wherever possible. It’s the lower carbon choice and keeps sustainability truly local.
Our vision has always been to offer a variety of different options to those who receive Woolcool®, starting the re-use and repurposing, and offer several different avenues for recycling dependent on location and need. At Woolcool®, our solutions help businesses and consumers eliminate harmful or resource hungry materials, reduce what they use, reuse it where they can, and recycle it responsibly when they must.
It’s about making smart choices, using natural materials thoughtfully, and extending the life of everything we create.
By working with wool – a waste material with incredible natural properties – we’re proving that packaging can be high-performing, cost-effective, and truly sustainable. Because when we reduce, reuse, and recycle with purpose, we don’t just protect what’s inside the box – we protect the planet too.
