Raw dog food companies don’t seem to be standing still in their pursuit for more eco friendly packaging. Naturaw have moved away from polystyrene packaging and are now using wool liners inside a recyclable food grade wrapper. Paleo Ridge Raw offer wool cool liners in an environmentally friendly box, 18kg min order. Bella and Duke also. There may well be others and it will be interesting to see who follows.
https://www.naturaw.co.uk/wool
http://www.paleoridgeraw.uk/store/p238/Wool_cool_environmentally_friendly_shipping_box_x_1.html
https://www.bellaandduke.com/return-coolwool/
Butternut Box also use Woolcool liners but, as yet, have no facility for returning them. I hope they follow the example of the other manufacturers mentioned as I have loads lying around!
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Thanks Petmum, Have you found any alternative use at all with Woolcool.
https://www.facebook.com/WeAreWoolcool/
Thanks for the link, Seaweed, I hadn’t thought about checking their Facebook page for ideas but have started following them now. So far I haven’t found that many uses for Woolcool other than putting some of the wool into a feeder for birds to use for nesting and I’ve used some liners as floor protection when painting!
I can’t bring myself to throw any of them away without reusing so I’m hoping to get more ideas or indeed be able to return them for recycling soon.
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putting it on the compost heap to help it keep the heat in is what I do with it, I bet you could use it to line hanging baskets with too.
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Another company moving to Woolcool is Cotswold Raw. Here is their packaging update.
https://mailchi.mp/061bb35a3273/packaging-and-delivery-improvements?e=690830b6fc
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It’s good that companies are changing their packaging to facilitate recycling.However, I just wonder about the ecological impact of feeding dogs high meat diets in the first place.
I was watching Hampton Court Flower Show on the television recently and this year there is a garden which shows the effects of deforestation due to the demand for meat. There’s lots about it on the Internet. Some articles here:
Eat less meat, save the planet.
The eco guide to eating meat.
Can eating meat bececo-friendly?
The demand for meat for human consumption is set to rise. I expect the same for dogs as more and more folk are choosing to feed their pets raw meat.
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Hello all,
As a company, we have been looking for some time at switching to alternative insulation with initial samples of wool cool being sent to us the beginning of 2017. It’s a great product idea however in practice it is not found to perform as well as polystyrene boxes which could lead to increased environmental waste overall which is a concern.
In multiple tests, we placed product straight from the freezer into the wool cool in various configurations with attempts to ensure as airtight as feasible. These were left in a cool place and not subjected to any further handling or vibration which would displace the air in the box during transportation. The results were that the contents defrosted significantly, at best -1 degrees was the temperature 24 hours later. In warmer weather and with transport in parcel network we doubted very much they would hold up.
What have been people’s experiences with the wool cool deliveries? Especially given the recent heat wave in the United Kingdom?
Kindest regards,
Jack Wolf
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Thank you for posting Jack Wolf. I had wondered how Woolcool held up against polystyrene boxes, particularly in the current heatwave, as you say it would be interesting to hear people experiences.
I had a delivery in woolcool from butternut today, and all was fine very frozen still. I had another delivery a few months ago from luna and me , a raw delivery and it was in a polystyrene box and it was frozen , but it was all bashed in on one end and that end was beginning to defrost slightly. At least the wool cool will help against it being bashed.
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Another vote for Woolcool here!
Like Rebecca, my delivery was from Butternut Box but this was yesterday (hottest day of year around here where it peaked at 31 degrees). I was anticipating issues with the food being defrosted-particularly when I saw that my delivery wasn’t due until around 4pm (mine was delivery no. 58!!-the poor courier!). However every pack was still frozen as were the two ice packs.
Also, earlier this year there was one occasion where my delivery was delayed by 24 hours due to inclement weather (the courier had it on his van but then couldn’t get to my address). Again the food was still frozen-admittedly this was when we had snow on the ground but it still survived the extra 24 hours on the back of a van/in a depot.
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I am looking at ordering from a company who uses these, preferably one I can return them to. I will be able to give my feedback then.
I also worry about the impact of a pure meat diet Dottie. I tend to add a carb and some veg to meals now to stretch the meat further.
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TBH the polystyrene boxes probably have the edge in terms of keeping the meat cool but after 4 hours out on a crisp but sunny afternoon, the wool did its job. A couple of my boxes had started to soften slightly at the edges but not enough to worry me. I put one in the fridge as the last box is running out and the others in the freezer. I am not sure how they would do on a very hot day. Perhaps the addition of dry ice might be a temporary solution in a heat wave. There is generally a good tracking system on the deliveries so in warmer weather, I would arrange for someone to be home.
Petmum, were the ice packs in your butternut box dry ice or regular ice?
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They are packs of regular ice.
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