Cold chain logistics, as a matter of need, is unavoidably more energy-intensive than other forms of logistics operations, and this is due to one key factor: temperature maintenance. Other types of shipping only worry about two variables: coordinating schedules to ensure smooth transitions from one point to the next and handling cargo so that it doesn’t physically break.
Cold chain logistics, however, introduces a third important variable, and that is maintaining the ideal shipping temperature of a particular product. Failure to do so can, at best, result in rotting fruits and vegetables or, at worst, pharmaceutical products that can no longer save lives.
Because of this, cold chain logistics unavoidably requires more effort, energy, and resources to preserve this temperature, and this is where sustainability and cold chain packaging can be important.
What Is Sustainability?
Sustainability is the commitment to more ecologically friendly, less resource-intensive processes to contribute to reducing waste and increasing harm to the environment. In some respects, sustainability is indirectly helpful to businesses in cold chain logistics because it steers businesses into more efficient, cost-effective practices that ultimately help the business while at the same time helping the environment.
Cold chain packaging is one of the ways that sustainability is maintained in cold chain logistics. With the right kind of cold chain packaging properly covering items, a protective layer of insulation is created. This insulating layer maintains the original optimal shipping temperature but does so by preventing leakage of that air into the environment, which is normally how products eventually arrive at room temperature.
Maintaining Temperature
With proper cold chain packaging, depending on the environment a product is subjected to, items can retain their optimal shipping temperature, without active environmental maintenance, for hours or even days. At the minimum, this can mean that even when products are subject to a delay and left outside the confines of a reefer unit, they can retain their temperature and still be viable and ready to load into the next vehicle when it finally arrives. However, in other instances, good cold chain packaging is sufficient to protect products completely unassisted for shorter shipping periods.
This means that businesses save money in a variety of ways. Products aren’t lost to losing their viability due to shipping delays. In some instances, shipping costs are reduced if the items don’t require reefer units for shipping, should cold chain packaging prove sufficient for the task of protecting them. If you ship temperature-sensitive products and want more protection, contact Protek Cargo with your needs and get a quote.
