SUPASO in scientific comparison: Sustainable insulation in the e-grocery test
How well do alternative insulating materials really perform in refrigerated shipping? A new study in the trade journal Future Foods (Elsevier, 2025) investigated exactly this and compared six sustainable insulation materials for transport packaging: recycled paper flakes, rPET, straw, hemp, sheep's wool and recycled cotton.
How well do alternative insulating materials really perform in refrigerated shipping?
A new study in the trade journal Future Foods (Elsevier, 2025) investigated exactly this and compared six sustainable insulation materials for transport packaging: recycled paper flakes, rPET, straw, hemp, sheep's wool and recycled cotton.
The question:
How do different sustainable insulating materials perform in everyday shipping under realistic conditions? Testing used a summer temperature profile ranging from 20 °C to 32 °C outside temperature over a period of 72 hours.
Materials tested:
SUPASO cellulose (paper fiber inlays)
rPET (recycled PET)
recycled cotton
straw
hemp
sheep's wool
The results:
Across all criteria, recycled paper flakes and rPET performed best overall in the multi-criteria evaluation. Our paper-based cellulose solution stood out on several counts: it reliably kept the temperature in the optimum range for fresh products, is economically viable and is far better accepted by consumers than, for example, rPET. This is particularly relevant for shipping companies with longer transportation times.
The study also showed how much good insulation extends cooling time: without insulation, the box exceeded the critical temperature limits within just a few hours, whereas with the materials tested it lasted many hours to several days.
What does this mean in concrete terms?
The study concludes that our cellulose solution is a serious alternative to polystyrene, with the decisive advantage of being made from >97% recycled waste paper and can be completely disposed of in waste paper. This is a strong signal, especially in the context of increasing environmental requirements and regulatory specifications (keyword: EU ban on certain single-use plastics from 2030).
Background:
The study was carried out by an interdisciplinary team at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria and publicly funded by the State of Upper Austria and the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action (BMK) within the programme "Logistikförderung 2019–2023" (project ResPac). A total of 1,314 consumers were asked about their acceptance of sustainable packaging solutions.
To the complete study:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2025.100690
Sustainable insulation materials for E-grocery shipments: A multi-criteria evaluation
For us at SUPASO, this publication is an important milestone because it shows that ecological solutions can not only be well-intentioned, but also well-made.
Order a free sample: https://www.supaso.eu/en/contact