Research and development
The requirements for better thermal package from environmentally friendly materials have led Cool Wool´s founder to research the possibility of utilising sheep’s wool for use in advanced temperature controlled thermal package.
Since 2016 Cool Wool has been working on environmental friendly thermal package mainly for use in the fish industry. The objectives of this work have been directed towards increasing the insulation value of eco-friendly cooling package. In co-operation with salmon farmers in Iceland, Faroyer and Fraunhofer has led to an active prototype that meets the rules and quality requirements for fresh food delivery.
Developments are aimed at producing cooling boxes that can keep food cold under 4°C for 96 hours. The aim is to design sophisticated solution that take into consideration the entire system and entire life of the cooling boxes all the way back to the nature.
All studies that Cool Wool has undertaken indicate that the insulation value of eco-friendly cooling box made from sheep’s wool and sustainable packaging material maintains the cooling of fresh fish better than conventional thermal boxes on the market today.
Strong and waterproof cooling packaging to enhance insulation performance
The CW Box consists of a structure of solid cardboard with sandwiched laminated wool layers to leverage the unique insulating features of wool:
By combining bio-based materials in a strong sandwich structure, our box achieves an insulation capacity superior to EPS. Depending on its structure, porosity and density, the thermal conductivity —the lower, the better the insulation capacity— of corrugated cardboard varies from 0.05 to 0.12 W/mk, which is then augmented by that of nonwoven wool (0.033W/mk), compared to the typical value of EPS, 0.04 W/mk. Our objective is to achieve a 10% better thermal conductivity of the CW box
The CW Box is coated with a novel bio-based lacquer of the bioORMOCER® class and PLA (polylactic acid). The coating is water-resistant to protect the box from harsh environment, biodegradable and has antimicrobial effects.
Sensors for better logistics. Temperature-sensitive particles that are part of CW Box provide information on the cooling chain temperature during transportation and location.