RHYS THOMAS
A FAR Northern business looking to revolutionise the packaging industry and steer it towards a greener, more sustainable future, is asking for like-minded investors to support the company and usher the industry into a new era.
TomKat Global Solutions company owners and husband and wife team, Tom and Kath Long, have always been invested in sustainable fishing and run their business following these practices.
Based out of Innisfail, they are looking to take their revolutionary cold-chain packaging, the KoolPak, to the next level.
After a fateful trade bursary trip overseas in 2019 thanks to the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, the pair developed the next generation of cool storage alternatives, hoping to completely phase out the current harmful effects of expanded polystyrene.
TomKat KoolPak has been made to be the most effective cold chain package on the market and is flat packable, reusable, recyclable, fully traceable and doesn’t require a single-use plastic lining to prevent leakage – delivering on all key criteria the Longs deemed important.
We have boxes all around the world with some of the largest seafood producers in the world and just finished a successful pilot trial with a global food corporation – the boxes on trial have done 30 reuses and are still transporting shrimp
TomKat Global Solutions’ Tom Long
The next phase for TomKat is financing up and moving to full-scale production, to this end, they are seeking to construct a new production facility in Innisfail that will have the capacity to create over 2 million KoolPaks annually and recycle used ones on-site.
This venture will not only be a boon for the environment but also a significant economic driver, as Stage 1 of the project is set to generate up to 180 advanced manufacturing jobs in the local community.
“The next step for us is commercial manufacturing on a large scale and we are well advanced with the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Fund for $26m, the Queensland Industry Partnership Program for $10m and they want to see a cornerstone investor,” Mr Long said.
The true value of the KoolPak revolves around its re-useability, delivering both economic and environmental benefits.
With each use, it becomes more cost-effective for the user while reducing its environmental footprint and after three re-uses, the KoolPak proves to be as cost-effective, if not cheaper, than other cold chain boxes on the market.
It slashes carbon emissions by roughly 65 per cent just from shipping, all of which can be meticulously tracked.
Mr Long said that investors don’t just bring money to the table as previous investors have offered money and their knowledge of the industry to further develop the product and the project.
Mr Long believes the industry and the government are steering towards moving away from the single-use plastics as the world continues to push towards a greener future and KoolPaks align perfectly with Australia’s National Plastics Plan 2021.
“The thing with polystyrene is it’s really effective and really cheap – so we understand single-use isn’t a good thing but it’s cheap and effective, so the industry has used it for the last 60 years,” he said.
It is hard to steer users away from it but polystyrene has its own footprint which has not been kind to the environment, so it’s time for change
TomKat Global Solutions’ Tom Long
“The largest seafood organisations in the world and governments understand that.”
If you would like to invest in TomKat KoolPak then contact them by sending an email to koolpak@tomkatglobalsolutions.com and express your interest, the details of the investment will then be discussed between the interested parties.
Keep up with the latest news in Cairns and the Far North, and check out some of our top stories this week: FNQ Hospital Foundation makes history and Mental health awareness through art.