“This closed-loop of material is essential for the future generations and the future of our company.”
Manuel Pizarro | Managing Director at ZØR.
ZØR has always been driven by sustainability – and when possible, our solutions are developed and implemented with the vision of the circular economy. That includes using reusable and recyclable packaging. And even use 100% recycled materials.
Our e-Kool Shipper system is currently composed of 100% recyclable EPS, through EPS boxes supplied by BEWI. Thus, we have achieved one of our 2022 goals.
Used EPS from packaging material are collected and recycled into new EPS beads by BEWIs circular division and then put back into the production line as new raw material.
BEWI group shares the same vision as ZØR – driving a circular economy. And we are proud to provide them with EPS boxes that help save lives and also reduce our environmental footprint. It’s a win-win for all of us, says Óscar Faria, Account Manager at BEWI Plastimar.
ZØR Mor developed Care Us, a powerful surface disinfectant formulated with selected ingredients to increase its antiseptic action, in response to the increasing care of surfaces.
The antimicrobial activity of alcohols results from their ability to denature proteins and to damage the membranes of micro-organisms. Alcohols have excellent germicidal activity in vitro against Gram-positive and Gram-negative Bacteria (including multi-resistant pathogens such as MRSA and VRE) and M. tuberculosis.
Numerous studies document the in vivo antimicrobial activity of alcohols, concluding that they effectively reduce bacterial counts on hands.
By the unique Sil2U® technology, Hydrogen Peroxide is stabilised in the formulation, remaining active.
Its application on the most demanding surfaces such as worktops, kitchen countertops, among many other surfaces with high use and extra care, makes Care Us your main ally to ensure safety against viruses, bacteria and fungus.
ZØR seeks daily to make its solutions more sustainable through designs and solutions that meet the circular economy.
Our strategy is committed to sustainability. We are fully committed to continuous improvement and to integrating sustainability into our day-to-day operations:
▪ To consist of a fully circular business:
Planning for the most correct life cycle of all materials in our solutions
▪ Continuous engagement with partners:
Being an active and responsible partner so that together we can build a circular economy
▪ Contribute to social inclusion:
Create a positive social impact for all those involved with ZØR
Case Study
KoolGel accumulators are developed using recyclable plastic, as they do not contain a mixture of raw materials – mono-material (PE / PE).
With this, we can guarantee a more efficient, higher quality recycling that allows for different forms of application.
In addition, KoolGel accumulators, like other ZØR solutions, are accompanied by disposal instructions.
ZØR has promptly and successfully responded to the challenge raised by the logistics of the COVID-19 vaccine through its thermal and temperature monitoring solutions.
Different vaccines require different storage temperatures and ZØR supported this whole process by developing tailor-made solutions.
e-Kool NETOTECH FZ-20S
This solution minimises temperature-related risks and guarantees conservation at low temperatures in order to respect the intervals for each vaccine.
The FZ-20S solution is qualified and ideal for transport and distribution in vehicles without temperature control.
Through FabLab, ZØR Group’s laboratory, thermal stability tests were performed to ensure the thermal behaviour of the solution.
This solution is qualified for 36 to 48 hours and is prepared for temperature ranges from -20ºC to -18ºC with universal configuration for winter and summer, simplifying the process and reducing handling.
e-Kool Smart Bag PCM
The Smart Bag PCM is a reusable isothermal bag, qualified and suitable for the shipment of products in the pharmaceutical and hospital sector.
As the previous solution, thermal stability qualification tests were performed in order to adapt it to real operation, i.e. transport routes in real destinations, by ZØR, FabLab.
These solutions are qualified up to 48 hours for temperature ranges of 2º to 8ºC or 15º to 25ºC and allow the possibility of incorporating a sensor, making the solution intelligent and monitorable.
These were extensively used in the local distribution of the COVID-19 Vaccines. They ensured temperature maintenance during transport from the warehouses in each region to the vaccine administration points.
Temperature maintenance, robustness in materials (also easy to clean), as well as the possibility of using a sensor, ensuring total traceability.
Monitoring
More than ever, correct monitoring management was essential to minimise risks associated with temperature and deviations.
A transport or storage that compromises the temperature of the vaccine can remove all its effectiveness, so ZØR Thermal systems, such as the i-Thermal platform, and other systems/dataloggers represented in Portugal by ZØR, were crucial in the vaccination process.
Geolocation was also crucial, in order to track the whole process, being a technology increasingly used in various operations.
During this last year, ZØR launched i-Thermal, an incorporation of a continuous monitoring system in the qualified solutions, which allows the temperature and other parameters of each of the shipments to be controlled.
Integrated with qualified solutions, this system makes it possible to monitor 100% of shipments to ensure validation and complete tracking of the entire thermal chain in the distribution process.
These systems are easily integrated into each solution, without taking up useful space or reducing internal capacity. ZØR always recommends the best system for the customer’s needs and the solutions to be used.
This solution is composed of a mobile application for interaction with the sensor and a Web Site for consulting and managing temperature data. The system features continuous data storage and download via BLUETOOTH from any Android mobile device. Data access is done through a portal for easy and quick access to all the data of each shipment. This platform can be integrated into customer platforms.
During this last year, ZØR launched i-Thermal, the incorporation of a continuous monitoring system in the qualified solutions, which allows the temperature and other parameters of each of the shipments to be controlled.
Integrated with qualified solutions, this system monitors 100% of shipments to ensure validation and complete traceability of the entire thermal chain in the distribution process.
These systems are easily integrated into each solution, without taking up useful space or reducing internal capacity. ZØR always recommends the best system taking into consideration the customer’s objective and the solutions to be used.
This solution provides a mobile application for interaction with the sensor and a Website for consulting and managing temperature data. The system features continuous data storage and download via BLUETOOTH from any Android mobile device. Data access is done through a portal for easy and quick access to all the data of each shipment. This platform can be integrated into customer platforms.
ZØR has developed e-Kool Smart Cover PCM, a multi-heights cover with impregnated Phase Change Materials (PCM’s) that maintain a temperature range of -12ºC to -21ºC / 0 to 2ºC / 2 to 8ºC and 15 to 25ºC for several periods and has a much higher thermal performance than a conventional cover. In particular, this blanket has an isothermal coating of 4 layers of different materials and an impregnated interior. This cover also has a built-in monitoring system that allows temperature control and geolocation at various points of the shipments.
The combination of PCM with thinsulate insulation and other materials creates a reusable solution for large volume shipments. This combination makes the solution stable and effective in extreme thermal profiles characteristic in cross-dockings (plane scales between controlled environment and cold rooms).
e-Kool Smart Cover PCM has been developed to absorb and release heat, maintaining the conservation point of the products to be transported, so that it can provide double protection when the products are very sensitive. The great advantage is a significant increase of litres to be transported in a solution that does not exceed 35 Kg and can protect volumes of more than 1000L. Additionally, this solution was designed to make reverse logistics possible and to be reused again, unlike normal systems which to transport the same volumes, weigh more than 200kg – which makes reverse logistics by plane unfeasible.
The blanket allows for thermal inertia in the product depending on the variation of thermal profiles. In other words, in a plane at controlled temperature, in a period of up to 15 hours, there is no change in the product’s transport conditions. If we think that in Europe alone, we fly in less than 5 hours to most places, this clearly shows the real benefit that this solution can bring.
One of the advantages is undoubtedly its versatility, as it is designed to maintain the controlled temperature of thermosensitive products during air, sea and land transport. Additionally, the blanket’s structure is designed in two parts that allow the height to be adjusted to the pallet size, making it a multi-height blanket (from 1200 to 1800 mm high).
Compared to traditional passive cold boxes, with this solution we achieved a significant reduction of about 70% in weight, an optimisation of the useful volume by almost 50% and a significantly 5x faster assembly.
With e-Kool Smart Cover PCM, due to its weight and ease of handling and storage, we can collect between 3 and 6 units, not exceeding 200kg. In traditional systems, the collection of these systems could never be achieved for less than 1000kg, which makes such collections economically unfeasible.
The e-Kool Smart Cover PCM was qualified so that it can work in different profiles without the product suffering any changes. For example, in the case of a vaccine (which can not freeze) we can place it in a cold chamber, because we will be using a 4 º C PCM that for a long period of time will not go below 2 º C.
Designed mainly for the pharmaceutical industry, it can be used for all the products that are sensitive to temperature. (Hospital, Food, Chemical, Electronic… sectors)
With this innovation we can send about 1000l through a very light and easy to reuse system. This combination of materials allows for good operational results and with plenty of thermal stability.
The innovative nature of the project underlying the development of the blanket has given rise to a patent registration process, which is currently underway.
Yesterday was the Sales Workshop day with the amazing José Carlos F. Pereira. A super motivated and enthusiastic team, with a great work spirit, always focused on customer satisfaction.
A APP está no maior evento da cadeia de frio – Temperature Controlled Logistics – com apresentações dos principais principais influenciadores nas GDP e players do setor de logística, onde é possível se manter actualizado das novidades que irão ocorrer num futuro próximo! Manuel Pizarro (APP) falou sobre os novos desafios relacionados a: Selecção e Validação de Embalagens, conectividade Last Mile com os stakeholders do TCL 2019.
