Expanded polystyrene is widely used as an insulator for food transport; in SE Asia, with its huge fish trade, several hundred million boxes are produced, sold and discarded every year. In the Philippines, studies show that about a third of this waste plastic reaches the ocean. The Coconut Cooler is the first cold storage product of its kind made from discarded coconut husks that can compete with expanded polystyrene coolers on both low price and high performance. Small scale seafood and produce traders will benefit from Fortuna's biodegradable long lasting coconut-based coolers. The project is also creating new green jobs and reducing CO2 emissions from burning billions of coconut husks yearly.

• Reduce ocean plastics pollution by 50 tons per year
  Each Fortuna Coconut Cooler replaces a dozen disposable expanded polystyrene iceboxes, ⅓ of which by weight would have ended up in the ocean, based on Filipino solid waste data.
• Reduce costs for 3,000 food distribution companies by 10 percent
  It looks into decreasing annualized supply chain costs for 3,000 food distribution businesses by 10%, saving customers money by lasting longer, reducing spoilage rates, and packing flat on empty reverse shipments.
• Increase coconut farmers’ incomes by 5 percent and create 100 new manufacturing jobs
  Benefit sought included increasing income of 2,000 coconut farmers by 5% and support 100 manufacturing jobs. Fortuna’s upcycled supply chain scheme transforms what can otherwise be ocean garbage into income for farmers and provides excellent jobs in rural provinces.
• Avoid 200 tons of CO2 release
  Each Coconut Cooler represents 50 coconut husks that are upcycled instead of burned. Nine billion coconut husks are burned as waste each year in the Philippines, releasing millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. 

READ:

• A cool way to beat plastic pollution and empower farmers       
• NCS’s ‘Inventing Tomorrow’ meets the pioneers charting a new course for the ocean economy

IMPLEMENTATION STATUS:

• Progress summary as of November 2022 (PDF)
• Watch this short video to know about the Year 2021 status of Fortuna Cools' ocean innovation.