INTHEBLACK April 2022 - Magazine - Page 55
Left: Sustainable
thermal packaging
material designed
by Planet Protector
Packaging.
Right: Joanne
Howarth, founder
of Planet Protector
Packaging.
Below: Planet
Protector Packaging’s
Woolpack range of
packaging material,
which has been
proven to outperform
alternative cold chain
packaging.
CASE STUDY:
HOW ONE PACKAGING
COMPANY IS PERSUADING
BRANDS TO GO GREEN
J O A N N E H O WA R T H I S F O U N D E R O F P L A N E T P R O T E C T O R
PA C K A G I N G , A C O M PA N Y W I T H 25 Y E A R S O F E X P E R I E N C E
IN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE SECTOR.
Experience working with
e-commerce food delivery
services in Australia has shown
Joanne Howarth that, although
customers love meal kits, they
hate the bulky, non-recyclable
polystyrene boxes in which meal
kits are usually delivered.
Determined to find an
environmentally sustainable
alternative that brands could use to
package and transport perishable
goods, Howarth’s company has
developed packaging insulated
with sheep waste wool encased
in recyclable or compostable foodgrade film.
Launched in 2016, the insulated,
compostable pouches or larger
boxes for fresh and frozen goods
are all recyclable, biodegradable
and compostable. Most of the
company’s close-to-400 clients are
small to medium-sized businesses,
but increasingly larger companies
are coming on board.
“There has been a transition in
the landscape over the last four
years. Companies need to report
around their ESG [environmental,
social and governance] and in line
with the UN’s Sustainable
Development Goals. Businesses are
thinking more about the way they
present themselves. Changing your
packaging is a demonstrable way
that can get you quick wins,
because that is the first thing the
consumer sees, and it sends a
message that this company cares,”
says Howarth.
Sustainability always comes as a
cost, but it is an investment for the
future, says Howarth.
“Today there is more value put on
sustainability than in the past, and
some businesses are prepared to
pay a 10 per cent to 15 per cent
premium for packaging,” says
Howarth.
There are many inherent cost
savings as well, such as a reduction
of warehouse space taken up with
bulky polystyrene boxes, or the 40
per cent to 50 per cent loading on
insurance due to polystyrene’s
flammability, says Howarth, which
makes her alternative cheaper in
real terms.
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au April 2022 55