Wool is spinning a new future for sustainable packaging

Woolcool is transforming sustainable packaging by harnessing wool - nature's smart fibre - to replace plastic in temperature-sensitive logistics. Josie Morris, Woolcool CEO, gives a glimpse into the company's story and impact of turning an agricultural by-product into low-carbon insulation that safeguards the environment and rural livelihoods. With sustainability firmly embedded in its DNA, Woolcool is ahead of regulatory shifts and market trends, proving that environmental responsibility can drive commercial success.

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Woolcool is a woman-led, multi-million turnover family business, and a pioneer and founder of the sustainable packaging revolution. Designed and manufactured in Staffordshire, UK, our insulated packaging is made from 100% pure sheep's wool - a natural, renewable, recyclable and compostable material. The idea was first conceived by Dr Angela Morris in 2001, while a packaging consultant to The National Trust and just after the UK Foot and Mouth crisis - which raised national awareness about the fragility of the food supply chain and the need to better support local farmers and find sustainable ways to store and transport perishable produce safely.

The spark is said to have come when she considered: if wool can insulate to keep warmth in, might it also insulate to keep heat out?

Today, our insulated packaging solutions are utilised globally for the shipment of time and temperature sensitive products across both the international pharmaceutical and food sectors.

Turning Nature's Smart Fibre into climate value

With increasing restrictions on single-use plastics across Europe and globally, Woolcool's natural and compostable packaging positions the business as a first mover ahead of legislation, safeguarding customer supply chains and enhancing brand value. By utilising abundant, locally available, low-grade wool - a by-product of agriculture often considered too coarse or low-value for clothing or textiles - Woolcool creates a resilient, sustainable source of raw material, while supporting rural economies and sheep farmers across the UK and EU.

Independent research has shown that Woolcool's packaging has up to a 75% lower carbon footprint than conventional alternatives. To put that into perspective, by switching to Woolcool packaging, a company shipping 10,000 temperature-sensitive orders per year could save around 20 tonnes of CO2 - equivalent to the annual carbon absorption of nearly 1,000 mature trees.

This reduction isn't just theoretical. Because wool naturally stores carbon as it grows, every Woolcool insulated liner effectively locks away carbon that would otherwise contribute to climate change, while replacing synthetic materials that are energy-intensive to produce.

Since its official launch in 2009, customers switching to Woolcool packaging have saved the planet from approximately 40 million kilos of polystyrene (EPS) - the weight of 160 jumbo jet airplanes - going to landfills. Today, the company uses some 5.5 million kilos of coarse British and EU wool annually, making the business one of the largest single users of wool in the UK today.

In recognition of our environmental efforts, and alignment of decision making with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we are proud to have been awarded the EcoVadis Bronze Medal in March 2025, placing the company in the top 35% of companies worldwide assessed for sustainability performance. This accolade underscores Woolcool's dedication to sustainable innovation and has bolstered our reputation in the market.

Balancing the need for sustainability against rising costs

With over two decades of investment in sustainable development Woolcool has seen attitudes shift positively towards greener values. Recently, however, with the impact of the current cost of living crisis, we are seeing a slightly retracting green trend, as economic pressures slow down the progress of the green revolution.

In response, many competitors promote the benefits of recycling. Woolcool, however, goes one step further - prioritising overall material reduction, encouraging reuse and minimising environmental impact from the very start to the end of the product's life.

Planet-friendly innovation with commercial strength

Woolcool products depend on balance - getting the right mix of sustainable packaging components to ensure that temperature sensitive contents are delivered in optimal condition while remaining competitive in challenging markets.

This strategy has secured profitable, long-term business growth. Over the past five years, Woolcool has achieved consistent double-digit growth, with turnover increasing by more than 160%. This growth has been fuelled by rising customer demand for sustainable alternatives to polystyrene and by our expansion into new sectors, including pharmaceuticals, online food delivery and horticulture.

In 2025, the company filed another record year, with sales revenue growth of 29%. Export sales saw a significant 21% uplift in 2024, but in 2025 have seen an incredible 80% growth.

Despite the turbulence in the US, Woolcool has sought to protect its ambition to expand into the US market. Through our distribution platform in Ohio, we are servicing both the US and Canadian markets, and are exploring expanding to the UAE.

Out of crisis comes opportunity

Today, there are many hi-tech manmade textile materials. Yet, to date, science has been unable to produce an alternative fibre that possesses all the complex properties of natural sheep's wool. Among its many attributes, wool is waterproof, elastic, fire-resistant, insulative, antibacterial and absorbent. It is also abundant, renewable, genuinely sustainable, recyclable and compostable.

The door is wide open for innovative thinking in the global wool industry to use wool as a viable and sustainable alternative in many industrial applications. However, for the long-term this will require a commitment to a whole new investment mindset for a sustainable wool industry, including a readiness to research into innovative methods for collection, washing and scouring.

Woolcool is a child of chaos, the eureka moment realised during the 2001 Foot and Mouth crisis and the business born out of the 2008 recession. It has seen at first-hand that innovation is the best route out of difficult times and can lead to sustainable business growth that is good for the future of our planet and its people.

2025 is a critical year for the Paris Agreement. Ten years on, we need to rethink how we frame the challenge. And seeing challenges differently is what business and we are all about.

ICC is committed to securing what businesses need at the upcoming climate negotiations, COP30, in Belém, Brazil. Learn more about our Opportunity of a Lifetime climate campaign and how to get involved.

*Disclaimer: The content of this article may not reflect the official views of the International Chamber of Commerce. The opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and other contributors.