TemperPack’s ClimaCell uses foam made from paper and plant starch to provide thermal and shock protection, while CruzForm was chosen for its compostable materials that combine seafood waste such as shrimp shells with paper waste. Ecovative, another finalist, uses mushrooms and agricultural byproducts to create home compostable protective packaging for e-commerce applications.
The solutions were chosen based on sourcing, optimization, recovery, scalability, and protection ability. Advisors include employees of Amazon, Wayfair, and Dow, and its judges hail from investment firm Closed Loop Partners and academia.
Other winners included Flexi-Hex, which uses recycled paper in a honeycomb shape, and HexcelPack’s paper bubble wrap.