Food packaging has come a long way, but there is something that a lot of companies are using. This is a temperature-sensitive form of packaging. This is where the temperature is controlled, and from there, is adjusted based on the environments.
Commonly seen in food packaging, this has also been used in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, because of how sensitive the items in that area are, especially if you don’t want the items to break down.
There’s a few things to consider with temperature-sensitive packaging, and here, we’ll go over what they are.
Insulation Materials
For food and pharmaceuticals, the right insulation is important.
If they need to stay at a certain temperature, then adding insulation to the interior of the packaging will aid with this. Lots of medicines have this, because if they get up past a certain temperature, they tend to break down.
So as long as you’re careful and know what type of insulation that you need, you’ll be able to get exactly what you want out of this.
Phase change Materials
These are materials that will change based on the temperatures. For instance, ice packs that tend to bleed off the cooler temperatures to keep the items at a cooler temperature is vital, because they work wonders.
There are others as well, and with new advancements, some of them have even become biodegradable, which is a great plus point for a lot of consumers.
Smart Sensors
This is a newer form of technology, as it will regulate and monitor the temperature.
When using this, you should make sure that you add this at the end, after you’ve put the cooling systems and the like in there. Some of these smart sensors are even reusable because of how they can be adjusted.
Basically the premise of smart sensors is that, when there’s a change in the temperature outside, the internal temperature is adjusted. So if you’re shipping to a warm climate, then having this will prevent the overall issues that may come from this.
It is a great thing to have, as throughout the supply chain there will be temperature adjustments, many of which can be a problem over time.
The Balance of Thermal Protection with the Sustainability and Costs of These Materials
This is the biggest drawback that can happen.
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Cold chain logistics tend to be complex. After all, you’re working with a very small window of time. Things can happen, such as trucks getting stopped up, or issues with getting the item to the warehouse. Overall, you need to make sure that the thermal protection is balanced in this case.
The same goes for sustainability. With a lot of customers worried about the future of this planet, you need to make sure that the packaging here is properly maintained. So yes, while throwing some thermal packs on everything is great, you also need to make sure it’s being eco friendly too.
One of the best ways to go about getting to that point however, is the advent of reusable packaging, as you can use this again and again. Giving customers an incentive to keep the packaging and use it again is great. An example is a temperature-sensitive type of packaging for one pharmaceutical, and then if you need to ship something out, you can use it again.
Overall though, this changes the game for a lot of industries. With this type of packaging, you can ensure that the product quality and also compliance with food and industrial regulations on waste and spoilage are maintained, so you can offer the highest-quality product available to users too.
