Thermapack GmbH: Biodegradable insulated packaging uses dry ice to ensure sustainable cold chains

Ms Kletzsch, could you give us an insight into Thermapack? What does your company do?
Thermapack GmbH is a manufacturer of sustainable cooling and dry ice solutions for e-commerce and various industries. At our site in Wiesmoor, northern Germany, we produce dry ice – in 3 mm pellets for industrial applications and 16 mm pellets for the shipment of food and pharmaceuticals – as well as natural ice packs, also for the shipping sector.

What are your main customer sectors and what is your best-selling product?
Our products are used throughout Germany. Our customer groups are divided into industry and e-commerce. Industrial customers include, for example, construction firms and service providers offering surface cleaning. They use our 3 mm pellets for dry ice blasting. This effectively removes stubborn dirt without leaving any residue. With precise cleaning power, surfaces shine with a new lustre. An environmentally friendly solution for a wide range of applications. With our cooling agents, the dispatch of goods requiring refrigeration is no problem. Shippers therefore form the second key customer group. Suppliers of goods requiring refrigeration use our water-based gel ice packs for postal delivery to end customers, maintaining the temperature for 48 hours or more. Suppliers of frozen goods, such as ice cream or ready meals, can benefit from our expertise in dry ice. We offer them pre-packaged dry ice so that they can ship their goods without compromise, safely and without any loss of quality.

You have developed a concept for the sustainable shipping of food. How does this work?
Successful food shipping requires good insulated packaging and the right coolant. Our sister company, kompackt61 GmbH, develops and distributes sustainable insulated packaging made from natural fibres as a resource-saving alternative to conventional polystyrene. The solution is based on the renewable fibre jute and is biodegradable whilst offering the same performance.

This solution is complemented by Thermapack’s products. Our ice packs are non-toxic, water-based and reusable. For frozen shipping, we offer dry ice packed in paper. It emits no additional greenhouse gases as it sublimates and leaves no residue on the shipped products. What remains is paper, which can be recycled.

What makes this concept special?
For us, functionality comes first. All our solutions are designed so that no shipper has to compromise and can still ship sustainably. We rely on renewable raw materials and work according to the ‘Cradle to Cradle’ principle.

You produce your own dry ice using ASCO pelletisers. What do you at Thermapack see as the advantages of dry ice over other coolants?
Dry ice sublimates directly from a solid to a gaseous state, so it leaves no residue on the products being shipped. This is particularly beneficial for sensitive goods or outer packaging that must not come into contact with moisture. Another advantage is its environmental friendliness: dry ice consists of CO2, a by-product of industrial processes. It emits no additional greenhouse gases as it sublimates and therefore does not contribute to environmental pollution. This makes shipping with dry ice an environmentally friendly option compared to other cooling methods. This makes it ideal for shipping products that need to be stored at low temperatures. With other coolants, for example, the safe shipping of frozen goods could not be guaranteed.

What are Thermapack’s next goals? Are there any new areas or services where you see potential?
Our goal at Thermapack is to establish our company in the Weser-Ems region as the leading supplier of dry ice for both shipping and industrial applications. Our customer base includes a number of young companies looking to establish themselves in the field of dry ice blasting. We see ourselves as a partner in helping them achieve their business goals and successfully launch their products on the market. Our team is always available and operates even on Sundays and public holidays to ensure our customers have the flexibility they need to carry out their projects. Furthermore, we will deliver our pre-packaged dry ice to our mail-order customers throughout Germany. In this sector, we already have several major clients who wish to optimise their mail-order business with us. We are confident that we can achieve successful market penetration in the coming months.

www.thermapack.de

 www.kompackt61.de