Sustainable food chain: how packaging helps reduce waste and impact

The need for a more sustainable food system is becoming increasingly urgent. Globally, we face challenges such as biodiversity loss, water pollution, soil depletion and greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, the demand for fresh, healthy food produced and distributed in a fair and efficient manner is growing. Thus, a sustainable food chain is no longer an ideal, but a requirement. Not only for the environment, but also for social costs, public health and future generations.

Within this complex chain, packaging plays a surprisingly central role. Not only as a protective layer for products, but as a tool to prevent food waste, control temperature and reduce the ecological impact of transport. Coolpack contributes to this with solutions that fit within circular logistics, such as reusable insulation boxes, water-based cooling elements and lightweight shipping packaging for fresh products.

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Pressure on food chain increases

The agricultural sector is under pressure worldwide. The combination of climate challenges, desertification, groundwater problems and intensive agriculture requires structural change. At the same time, consumers want access to fresh vegetables, fruits, dairy products and cheese, for example. These are products that are often temperature sensitive and thus place additional demands on packaging and distribution.

The food transition is about more than production. It is about the entire system, from soil quality to distribution efficiency, and from sustainable food to fair price distribution. In that whole, packaging plays a silent but crucial role, impacting food quality, waste and use of natural resources such as energy, raw materials and water, among others.

Food waste and packaging: cause and solution

Every year, over a third of all food is lost worldwide. Much of it disappears in the logistics process before reaching the consumer. Poor insulation, inadequate refrigeration or inappropriate packaging lead to quality loss, spoilage and unnecessary strain on land and water availability.

How packaging helps reduce waste

Good packaging extends shelf life, protects against temperature variations and minimizes damage. Thus, packaging makes a direct contribution to:

Less food production going to waste
Lower waste and more efficient use of soil functions
Reducing carbon emissions and social costs

Coolpack develops packaging solutions that fit within this sustainable model, such as the EcoCoolBox and water-based cooler packs. These products not only help prevent shrink, but also contribute to a more efficient use of natural resources and a lower impact on biodiversity.

Reusable systems and circular logistics

Switching to reusable packaging is an opportunity to make chains structurally sustainable. Using packaging more often creates less waste, lower packaging costs and a better balance between economic return and environmental impact.

Coolpack supports this transition with circular solutions such as EPP boxes, which are suitable for multiple cycles. Linking with return systems makes this feasible not only for large players, but also for regional initiatives committed to sustainable food production.

Plate 0 °C 4,500 grams 1/1 Gastronorm

€ 72,50 excl. btw

EPP Thermo 15 Liter + carrying strap

€ 27,50 excl. btw

€ 27.50 each

337 x 266 x 325 mm

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EcoCoolBox XL 50L

€ 15,49 excl. btw

20 piece(s) per pallet

600 x 400 x 375 mm

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Sustainable cooling during the last mile

The last mile is often a bottleneck within the system. Most waste occurs at this stage and many packages are only used once. This runs counter to the ambition to move toward an efficient, resilient chain.

Solutions focus on:

Compact, stackable containers to transport large quantities
Real-time tracking to catch deviations in temperature or delivery time
Take-back of cooling elements to reduce resource use
Materials without harmful residues more in line with FAO guidelines for sustainable chains

Making the last mile more sustainable improves the match between supply and demand, reduces overproduction and reduces logistical waste.

The role of collaboration in the chain

A sustainable food chain requires more than technology. There is a need for chain cooperation, knowledge sharing and clear agreements on responsibilities and benefits. The blame lies not with one link, but with the whole.

Coolpack works with organizations from different parts of the chain, from manufacturers to delivery services, to achieve practical solutions. This collaboration leads to tangible improvements on the ground, such as lower return rates, better product quality and higher customer satisfaction.

Conclusion: packaging is a key factor in the food system

Today’s food chain is facing a turning point. Problems such as over-fertilization, loss of biodiversity and negative health effects require a new way of working. This starts with production, but extends to distribution and packaging.

By choosing packaging solutions that fit within a sustainable food system, companies can make a difference. They help protect healthy soils, use resources responsibly and keep food affordable for a growing global population.

Coolpack plays a connecting role in this, as an example of how logistics innovation can contribute to a fairer and more sustainable food system. Thus, together we are working towards a future-proof food chain, from southern Spain to Murcia, from farmer to plate.

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.