Sustainability as an Opportunity: 5 Questions to Coolpacks Sustainability Officer Astrid Oversier
“Sustainability is not an end in itself, but a journey”: A conversation with Astrid Oversier
While the term “sustainability” resonates in more and more boardrooms, Coolpack sees it not as a buzzword but as a fundamental driver for innovation and growth. We spoke with Astrid Oversier, Sustainability Officer, about how Coolpack is embedding sustainability in its business strategy and what concrete steps the company is taking toward a climate-neutral future.
Coolpack sees sustainability as an opportunity rather than an obligation. What does that mean concretely for the company?
“That approach defines everything we do,” Oversier says. “Where some companies see sustainability primarily as a cost or compliance issue, we approach it as a tremendous opportunity for innovation and value creation. For our customers, this translates into better, more innovative products that not only support their own sustainability goals, but are often more cost-effective in the long run.”
“For our employees, it means contributing to something bigger than themselves. They are not just working on cooling solutions, but actively helping to shape a more sustainable future. That purpose gives work more meaning.”
“And of course there is the broader impact: less waste, lower carbon emissions and a contribution to a fairer economic system. By seeing sustainability as an opportunity, we both strengthen our competitive position and make a positive contribution to the world. That’s not a contradiction – it actually reinforces each other.”
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Coolpacks sustainability policy rests on three pillars. Can you explain these and where the priority lies?
“Our first pillar is circular economy,” Oversier explains. “This is about designing smarter, reducing waste and committing to reuse and recycling. Whether it’s our refrigeration solutions or packaging – we always look at the full life cycle and how we can keep materials in the chain for as long as possible.”
“The second pillar is carbon reduction. Here we take full responsibility for our emissions, with a clear goal: to be climate neutral by 2030 for scope 1 and 2. That means taking our direct emissions and those from purchased energy to zero.”
“As a third pillar, we focus on the chain. Sustainability does not stop with our own operation. We are building fair, transparent chains together with suppliers and customers. We recognize that we do not yet have full visibility of our entire chain, but since 2025 we are fully committed to creating maximum transparency.”
You work with outside experts such as Caroli Buitenhuis of Green Serendipity. What does this collaboration yield?
Oversier’s eyes light up. “Collaborating with experts like Caroli is crucial to our innovative strength. Caroli specializes in biobased materials for packaging and products. Her expertise helps us explore alternative, sustainable packaging that reduces environmental impact without affecting the functionality of our products.”
“Caroli focuses on circular solutions and regenerative materials, such as biomass, biowaste and CO₂-based (bio)materials, which are recyclable and/or biodegradable. This knowledge is invaluable to us.”
“Collaborating with experts like Caroli allows us to make progress much faster than if we had to invent everything ourselves. It’s a perfect example of how collaboration within the sustainability domain leads to better results for everyone.”
“If you ask where our priority lies, I would say they all reinforce each other. But we make the most impact by working with our supply chain partners, because that’s where the greatest opportunities for system change lie.”
In 2025, Coolpack started ‘full force’ with chain responsibility. What are the initial insights and challenges?
“The first big lesson was how complex our chains actually are,” Oversier reflects. “You start with direct suppliers, but soon discover that behind that are other parties, with their own suppliers. Mapping that complexity is a huge challenge.”
“But we also had positive surprises. Many of our partners turned out to be already further along with sustainability than we thought. There were already all kinds of initiatives that we could build on and strengthen.”
“The biggest challenge is data. For true transparency, you need reliable data on environmental impact, working conditions and more. Those are not always available or comparable. But that very challenge motivates us to persevere. We see that by working together with suppliers and customers we can achieve much more.”
What can we expect from Coolpack in terms of sustainable innovation in the coming years?
“We are at the beginning of an exciting phase,” Oversier says enthusiastically. “In the short term, we will increase the percentage of recyclate in our products. In addition, we are actively exploring the possibilities of biobased plastics as an alternative to fossil raw materials.”
“In the medium term, we are working on fully circular products – designed for reuse and ultimately recycling.”
“What I find most exciting are the innovations we cannot yet foresee. By putting sustainability at the center of our innovation process, we create room for radical new ideas. Today’s challenges are tomorrow’s business opportunities. And in the end, we are all striving for the same thing: lowering environmental impact so that we will still have a livable planet 30 years from now.”
Oversier concludes, “Sustainability is not a goal in itself, but a journey. And the great thing is: on that journey we not only become a more sustainable company, but also a better and more innovative one. That’s exactly why we see sustainability as an opportunity, not an obligation.”
Sustainability Coolpack and CSR
At Coolpack, we are aware of our responsibility to contribute to society. Both in terms of sustainability and society as a social body.
We weigh the interests of the customer, the environment and society, as well as ourselves as an organization, in all business decisions. In this way, we achieve balanced business operations and together ensure an ever better world.
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