Mondi provides Tyme Food with corrugated recyclable BCoolBox for chilled ready meals
11 Apr 2022 --- The BCoolBox by Mondi keeps meals chilled to 7°C or below without refrigeration, allowing Tyme Food to ship all across the UK from one central kitchen. The corrugated monomaterial construction makes recycling BCoolBoxes “a breeze,” meeting Tyme Food’s circularity goals.
Tyme Food had a local launch with its nutritious, plant-based, high-quality offerings, with a brand image appealing to environmentally-conscious consumers seeking to reconcile busy lifestyles with healthy eating.
Nedim Nisic, eCommerce manager Corrugated Solutions, at Mondi tells PackagingInsights: “We are currently exploring different end uses for this box, however, for now it is used to transport chilled food.”
Mondi explains for “repeating its success, better packaging is required,” which includes more robust, thermally insulated, and easily recyclable packaging. It adds the solution also needed to be scalable to keep up with fast projected sales growth.
“Tyme Food tested several multi-material options before turning to us,” says Nisic.
“After analyzing the conundrum with our customer-centric EcoSolutions approach, we proposed a trial of our new BCoolBox packaging system optimized for Tyme Food’s needs. BCoolBox’s tough, lightweight corrugated sides and insulation panels keep contents well protected at under 7°C for a minimum of 24 hours during standard shipment. Its all-corrugated, mono-material construction simplifies the supply chain.”
The BCoolBox keeps meals chilled to 7°C or below without refrigeration.
Nisic says its BCoolBox can be thrown into the paper sorting bin, unlike multimaterial packaging where the UK does not have the necessary recycling infrastructure.
“The difference [to multi-material solutions] is in the recyclability aspect. We tried to reach certain parameters, customers’ requirements, with a paper based solution that can be easily recycled by consumers.”
Recyclability was a top concern for Tyme Food’s management. “We were looking for an insulation material that would maximize the possibility of it actually being recycled. Mondi’s perforated panel concept is very smart. Paper is a material that customers know how to recycle in the conventional infrastructure in the UK rather than requiring novel education or conditions to do so. So we invited Mondi to test their product for us,” explains Joe Cooke, Creative Director at Tyme Food.
Good design is key
The trial, conducted in various conditions with sensors implanted in the BCoolBoxes, proved successful: meals arrived undamaged, unspoiled and cool, with their contents never exceeding the critical 7° limit. Shipping weight charges were also reduced due to the compact and lightweight composition of the packaging.
Cooke adds: “The sampling and trial process was very fast and the ability to test with sensors in our different supply chains was critical. “
“The data, and the fact that Mondi had set up its concept clearly for mass production – allowing us to quickly scale as we grow – supported our decision for BCoolBox. They also offered flexibility to meet our requirements with printing and packing, giving us both brand and operational value.”
“Key factors of a good design. Mondi certainly allowed us to open our service to the whole of the UK,” Cooke concludes.
In the news
Last month, research from DS Smith exposed the “Dirty Dozen” – the top 12 items contaminating mixed or paper recycling streams due to plastic and food presence. The most commonly recycled culprits include junk mail, food trays and pulp fruit trays.
Also, the British Plastics Federation reaffirmed the valuable role of plastic in reducing food spoilage and associated carbon emissions in response to a WRAP UK study, which suggested packaging doesn’t necessarily prolong the life of uncut fresh produce and can actually increase food waste.
By Natalie Schwertheim
