Cruz cool sustainable cold-chain shipper made from upcycled food waste

Overview

Cruz Cool is a sustainable cold-chain packaging solution designed to replace expanded polystyrene (EPS) coolers used in shipping perishable and frozen goods. Constructed from Cruz Foam, a novel material made from 70% upcycled food waste, Cruz Cool delivers comparable thermal performance to EPS while offering a circular end-of-life pathway. The cooler has been validated to maintain product temperatures for 48+ hours across a range of transit conditions, eliminating the need for polyethylene liners and supporting reuse. Cruz Cool composts within 90 days under industrial conditions, providing a regenerative alternative to petroleum-based packaging.

Technical specifications

• Material composition: Cruz Foam, produced from 70% upcycled food waste streams, reducing reliance on virgin petroleum-based plastics
• Thermal performance: Validated using RFID LogTags to maintain internal temperatures during ISTA 7D and ISTA 7E profiles; maintains frozen product integrity below 0°C and non-frozen goods below 21°C for 48+ hours
• Temperature tolerance: Tested in storage environments down to -25°C with projected performance at -50°C
• Compostability: Passed ASTM D6400 and ASTM D6868 industrial compostability testing at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh; also demonstrated successful home composting under temperate conditions with periodic aeration
• Structural integrity: Stable material properties under extreme humidity conditions, supporting reuse without polyethylene liners
• Manufacturing compatibility: Produced on existing extrusion equipment, enabling cost-competitive scaling and smooth market adoption
• Applications: Cold-chain shipping for frozen and perishable goods, including food and pharmaceutical supply chains

Technology readiness level

Cruz Cool has completed initial thermal chamber validation and real-world transit testing demonstrating 48+ hour thermal stability and structural integrity. Additional thermal chamber testing results are expected in early 2024. The underlying Cruz Foam material has passed ASTM D6400 and D6868 industrial compostability certifications. Future validation efforts include pursuing TUV certifications and FDA approvals, with an anticipated timeline of approximately one year, along with further decomposition rate studies to confirm shelf-life and support international market expansion.