Announcing the arrival of our all NEW cardboard insulation – the Coola Box
First, we launched our Soft Plastics Recycling Programme
Last year we made a big move to help improve the recyclability of our packaging. This programme offers a super simple way for all our foodies to participate in soft plastic recycling, no matter where in New Zealand they are located, by adding a soft plastic recycling courier bag (which is made of up to 80% recycled plastic) to their order.
Customers then fill these bags with ALL of their household’s soft plastic and then arrange collection by NZ Post. So far with this programme, we’ve diverted more than 15T of plastic from landfill.
Our next target was our box insulation
While we love that our wool insulation is made from New Zealand wool offcuts and that the wool itself is compostable and biodegradable, we weren’t so fond of the plastic that is wrapped around the wool. So, working together with our packaging partners and following extensive testing, the Coola Box was born. The Coola Box will replace our old wool insulation in most boxes, keeping your ingredients fresh on the way to your door, and making recycling of our packaging even easier for you.
Made with FSC Certified cardboard that’s 70% recycled, it’s all part of our plastic reduction journey. The Coola Box will not only keep your ingredients cool and fresh, but it will also remove 40 Tonnes of plastic from our boxes by 2024.*
*This forecast is based on an average plastic weight of 21.46g per delivery (plastic film + sticker). To remove 40T of plastic by 2024, we need to sell 1.9m boxes which is likely to occur by Dec 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is it?
The Coola Box has been specially designed for My Food Bag by our packaging partners. It is made from FSC certified cardboard that is 70% recycled. Once you receive it, it can be easily flattened and then recycled kerbside in most areas of NZ.
How do you recycle it?
Easy peasy. Once you’ve unpacked all your fresh cold food, pull the lid up, open out the sides and then flatten the box and pop it in your paper recycling bin
How have you tested that it keeps my ingredients cold?
Our Food Safety & Logistics teams have tested the insulation properties of this new solution across all our delivery network. Their tests have shown that the Coola Box keeps our food fresh and chilly from our place to yours.
Do I need to be home now for my delivery?
If you’re not home when we deliver, our driver will follow your personal delivery instructions (which you can set up here) or will leave your Food Bags in a secure location away from the elements to keep it safe. Be sure to pop your ingredients in the fridge as soon as you get home and be aware that we can take no responsibility for your Food Bag after it has been delivered. Our delivery times have been created to enable you to be home when you receive your order. You will also receive a text once your Bag has been dropped off, so you can get home to pop it inside.
But I like wool better, can I have wool please?
While we love wool, the wool insulation is wrapped in plastic which we don’t love. And while some of our customers have found novel uses for their wool, the new solution will make recycling easy for everyone.