• Thermal packaging alone cannot guarantee product integrity; risks such as handling errors, transit delays, and inconsistent storage conditions require trained personnel, coordinated logistics, and contingency planning to mitigate.
• Temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals face multiple critical control points from origin to final delivery, and any lapse—including customs delays or mismanaged transit storage—can compromise the shipment despite advanced insulation.
• Supply chain resilience relies on strategic route selection, alternative providers, collaboration, and sustainable packaging innovation, with the cold chain functioning as an interdependent system where packaging is only one component of overall product protection.

Thermal packaging can protect pharmaceuticals from some temperature fluctuations, but it cannot compensate for gaps in handling, logistics, or planning. Complex trade lanes, extended customs delays, and inconsistent storage conditions at transit points all pose risks that a container cannot always address. Even the most advanced insulation technology cannot prevent temperature excursions if personnel are not trained to follow precise handling procedures or if the supply chain lacks redundancy.

Temperature-sensitive shipments, such as vaccines, cell & gene therapies, and biologics, face multiple potential points of failure from origin to destination. Each stage of transport—from warehouse storage and airfreight transit to local distribution and last-mile delivery—requires strict adherence to protocols and constant monitoring. Any lapse, including delays at customs or mismanaged storage at a transit hub, can compromise product integrity, rendering the most sophisticated packaging ineffective.

The rise of global pharmaceutical trade has only heightened these challenges. Transporting goods across hemispheres introduces variability in temperature ranges, longer transit times, and different regulatory environments. In some regions, shipments may be held for extended periods before clearance, which can exceed the thermal hold time of single-use packaging. Without contingency plans and coordinated logistics, these delays increase the risk of product spoilage.

“Shipping from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere, you have different temperature ranges, different customs clearance times. Some destinations might store a shipment for up to two weeks before it’s released,” Bourji Mourad, Director of Global Leasing and Market Development at Sonoco ThermoSafe, explains. That means that even if the thermal packaging  maintains the correct temperature for 120 hours or so, delays or mishandling during transport can compromise the shipment.

For every shipment, a comprehensive risk analysis is essential. Mourad explains, “ One should look at every single stage: origin, transit, destination, and final mile. Each stage has its own challenges, and without proper planning, and approved stakeholders you leave gaps in the cold chain.” He highlights that there are more than ten  critical control points from door to door, excluding the last mile from distribution centre or consignee to clinic or patient. “Even if the packaging solution is perfect, it won’t help if staff at transit or destination points don’t adhere to the correct processes. Each of these points can be a vulnerability,” he adds.

Trade lane variability adds another layer of complexity. “Not every airport or logistics hub is the same. Some have state-of-the-art facilities; others have very basic storage conditions. That’s why choosing the right route, airline, and handling partners is as important as choosing the right packaging,” Mourad notes.

Supply chain resilience

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how fragile even well-prepared supply chains can be. Mourad recalls, “During COVID, not enough equipment atcertain  locations were available by the regular providers. If they didn’t have a backup plan, shipments would have been delayed or indeed failed reach destination in time. Even life-saving products were at risk.”

He stresses that contingency planning is no longer optional. “If an airline no longer operates a trade lane, you need another option. Another airline or perhaps going via another airport or route. Planning for these contingencies is now essential,” he says. That includes ensuring multiple providers, alternative routes, and even secondary and third packaging options are approved.

Resilience also extends to collaboration. Mourad notes that during the pandemic, competition between logistics providers gave way to cooperation. “Forwarders shared aircraft capacity, airlines removed seats to carry cargo on upper decks since no passengers allowed to travel. That level of collaboration was remarkable,” he says.

Innovation and sustainability in packaging

Mourad also highlights the industry’s push for more sustainable and innovative packaging. “In addition to bulk reusable Temperature Control Containers, we’ve started offering reusable parcel-size thermal packagingunder a rental model, alongside single-use solutions. The materials are more recyclable, lighter, and provide longer thermal performance,” he explains. These innovations are designed not only to protect products but also to reduce environmental impact, an increasingly important consideration for pharmaceutical companies.

However, he notes that sustainability must be balanced with practicality. “Sometimes the most sustainable option isn’t available everywhere. In those cases, speed and reliability take precedence,” Mourad adds. This reflects the reality that the cold chain is not just about environmental responsibility but ensuring patients receive critical medicines safely and on time.

For Mourad, the overarching message is clear: a container or thermal packaging solution alone cannot guarantee safe transport. Success depends on trained staff, meticulous planning, resilient trade lanes, contingency strategies, and continuous innovation. Without these elements working together, even the most advanced packaging technology may not fully safeguard time and temperature-sensitive products.

The cold chain is a network of interdependent processes. As Mourad concludes, “Packaging is critical, but it’s just one piece of a much larger puzzle. True success comes from aligning science, technology, people, and processes to ensure the product remains safe from door to door.”