What’s Next for Cold Chain in Biotech and Pharma? Expect the Styrofoam Crackdown.
top of page
2024_PF_3C_PMS_Reverse_MasterLogo.png

What’s Next for Cold Chain in Biotech and Pharma? Expect the Styrofoam Crackdown.

  • Writer: Brian Wilson
    Brian Wilson
  • 5 days ago
  • 2 min read

ree

As the global demand for biologics, mRNA therapies, and temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals accelerates, the cold chain infrastructure that supports them is under increasing scrutiny—not just for performance, but for environmental impact.


While 2026 promises smarter systems, tighter regulations, and expanded global distribution, there’s one constant still clinging to the supply chain: Styrofoam.


📦 The Problem with Performance—Isn’t Performance

Expanded polystyrene (EPS), known more casually as Styrofoam, has long been the industry go-to for cold chain packaging. It’s cheap. It insulates. It’s lightweight. But what it saves in cost upfront, it multiplies in waste, complexity, and risk downstream.


In 2023 alone, an estimated 337 million Styrofoam shippers were used globally across biotech and pharma supply chains. Most of them are non-recyclable, non-compostable, and classified as hazardous waste by international shipping standards. They end up in landfills, incinerators—or worse, oceans.


As sustainability mandates tighten and ESG accountability moves from “nice to have” to “non-negotiable,” Styrofoam is becoming the weakest link in an otherwise sophisticated life sciences logistics chain.


🔁 What Cold Chain Will Demand in 2026

Pharma and biotech logistics teams aren’t just asking for better thermal performance anymore. They’re asking:

  • How much space is this taking up at point-of-use sites?

  • Can our customers or clinics dispose of this responsibly?

  • What are the emissions tied to producing and discarding it?

  • Is this helping or hurting our ESG score?


In short, efficiency and environmental responsibility are now the same conversation. The cold chain of 2026 must deliver on both.


🌱 Enter FeatureFoam™: The Smart Fix to Cold Chain Waste

PulpFixin created FeatureFoam™ to solve what Styrofoam never could.


This patented, fully compostable molded pulp shipper delivers the thermal protection biotech and pharma products demand—with none of the environmental baggage. FeatureFoam™ is:

  • ✅ Dry ice compatible and drop-tested

  • ✅ Stackable and modular for reduced warehouse complexity

  • ✅ Certified compostable and recyclable

  • ✅ Built to integrate with cryo boxes, gel packs, and tube holders

  • ✅ Lightweight, compact, and planet-friendly at every step


It’s more than just an alternative to Styrofoam. It’s a new standard for circular cold chain logistics.


🧊 What Labs & Logistics Teams Are Saying

Early adopters of FeatureFoam™ have reported:

  • A 34% reduction in packaging volume

  • Over 40,000 lbs of EPS eliminated in the first quarter

  • Seamless integration into existing pharma cold chain workflows


And with global regulatory bodies—including the EU and several U.S. states—moving to restrict or ban EPS in shipping materials by 2026, now is the time to make the transition.


🔍 Don’t Let Packaging Be Your ESG Blind Spot

Biotech and pharma companies spend millions innovating life-saving therapies. But shipping them in a material that takes 500+ years to degrade is out of step with where science—and society—is going.


FeatureFoam™ is how your cold chain can evolve without compromising performance, brand trust, or the planet.


Ready to test the fix?

bottom of page