GEODIS Thermal Covers Mark Step Toward Sustainable Pharma Airfreight Packaging

GEODIS has wrapped up a pilot program testing paper-based thermal covers as a recyclable replacement for conventional aluminum and foil packaging in pharmaceutical airfreight.¹ The results, the company says, provide valuable operational feedback on the use of recyclable thermal protection for temperature-sensitive shipments.

Since September 2025, GEODIS completed 86 trial shipments across India, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, using two purpose-built solutions: Solaris 5 and Solaris 10.¹ Both products are designed as more sustainable alternatives to the traditional foil and aluminum covers that dominate pharma air cargo today. The trials were conducted in collaboration with an unnamed global pharmaceutical customer.

The performance results are notable. Shipments maintained temperature integrity within the +2°C to +25°C range despite ambient temperatures that swung from -15°C in South Korea to above 40°C in India.¹ No critical temperature excursions were recorded. To achieve that, GEODIS layered in a full complement of cold chain controls, including temperature-controlled vehicles, airline pharma services, cool dollies, and temperature-controlled warehousing at key transit points.

In a press release, Tony Doyle, key account manager at GEODIS, said the project "reflects the close collaboration between our teams and the customer to identify more sustainable solutions for pharmaceutical logistics. The results of these trials provide valuable operational feedback on the use of recyclable thermal protection for temperature-sensitive shipments."¹

Why Does This Matter for Pharma Supply Chains?

The pharmaceutical cold chain packaging market is expected to grow from $27.14 billion in 2025 to $55.75 billion by 2030, a trajectory driven by rising biologics volumes, expanded specialty distribution, and stricter temperature requirements across more product categories.² As that market scales, so does the packaging footprint, and the industry's tolerance for single-use and unsustainable materials is narrowing.

That tension is well established in pharma supply chain circles. In a previous interview with Pharmaceutical Commerce, Joel Wayment, VP and general manager of 3PL services and packaging solutions at Cardinal Health, said that “companies for a while now have been working on making sure that we're using materials that are recyclable,” and that shifting from recyclable to reusable is the practical next step. “If we can move away from one-time use things to multi-use, now we're having a positive impact in the environment. We're also reducing cost, and waste in the supply chain,” Wayment noted.

The paper-based Solaris covers are designed for recycling, representing a meaningful step in the industry's broader push to reduce cold chain packaging waste and move toward more sustainable materials.

Is Paper-Based Packaging Ready for the Rigors of Global Pharma Air Cargo?

The GEODIS pilot reflects a broader industry push to replace conventional packaging materials with alternatives that meet both temperature-control and end-of-life sustainability requirements. Pharmaceutical shippers are increasingly being asked by customers, investors, and regulators to demonstrate accountability for packaging waste and airfreight, with its high volumes of single-use protective materials remaining a particular focus.³

For GEODIS, the answer was to put the Solaris covers through conditions that leave little room for doubt. The diversity of geographies in the trial, covering temperate, tropical, and cold-climate transit corridors, put the covers through a demanding range of conditions, from -15°C in South Korea to above 40°C in India. No critical excursions were recorded across all 86 shipments.¹

GEODIS has not yet disclosed commercial availability timelines or pricing for the Solaris covers, and the identity of the pharmaceutical partner involved in the trial was not noted. Still, the completion of a structured, multi-country validation, rather than a single proof-of-concept flight, puts this effort in a different category than early-stage R&D announcements.

References

1. "GEODIS Tests Sustainable Paper Thermal Covers for Pharmaceutical Airfreight." GEODIS Newsroom, June 24, 2026. geodis.com/us-en/newsroom/geodis-tests-sustainable-paper-thermal-covers-pharmaceutical-airfreight.
2. "Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Packaging Market Anticipated to Record Steady Gains, Advancing to $55.75 Billion by 2030." Healthcare Research Reports, 2025. healthcareresearchreports.com/pharmaceutical-cold-chain-packaging-market-trends.
3. Bansal, Kapil. "Redefining Pharmaceutical Packaging for a Sustainable Future." EY-Parthenon, Dec. 5, 2025. ey.com/en_in/insights/supply-chain/redefining-pharmaceutical-packaging-for-a-sustainable-future.