When Estonian startup Woola first came on the luxury packaging scene, its solution aiming to replace plastic bubble wrap was praised for its circular approach, using locally sourced waste wool, and its original aesthetic.
Woola joined LVMH’s La Maison des Startups accelerator (the next step after winning an LVMH Innovation Award in 2023)—which gave the supplier “credibility and a stamp of approval”, according to Anna-Liisa Palatu, CEO of Woola. Since then, the company has been developing shipping solutions with a focus on e-commerce, namely for cosmetics, jewelry, electronics and luxury. Today, some 70% of Woola’s business comes from the envelope solution, Palatu tells Formes de Luxe.
Saving 70 tons of plastic in year one
In partnership with Louis Vuitton, the supplier designed a custom B2B solution; the goal being to replace bubble wrap for the transport of accessories and jewelry from the brand’s supplier in Italy to its warehouses.
“It was a challenge to find the right solution to protect our products. We explored the potential of recycled plastics and biobased plastics among other materials and then discovered what Woola could offer,” explained Sandrine Noel, Environment Director at Louis Vuitton at the 2024 Edition Spéciale by LUXE PACK show in Paris. “At first, the Kraft envelope was too rigid, so we worked on other prototypes with Woola and came up with a pocket-type design with two open sides. The products are slipped into our usual textile protection, Woola replaced the bubble wrap and a biobased paper solution makes for a complete envelope.”