Castrads

Castrads makes a long-term commitment to protecting its products and the planet with Mushroom® Packaging

Castrads is a family-run manufacturer of custom cast iron radiators that started out on a farm in Cheshire in 2006.

It has now grown into an ambitious multinational company, continually seeking to innovate products and methods, whilst reducing its carbon footprint.

Building on a factory in Manchester and showrooms in London and New York, Castrads is now expanding into the EU with headquarters in Poland.

The Problem

Cast iron is the original circular material, produced from scrap and infinitely recyclable. And Castrads build their repairable and restorable rads to last a lifetime making them a solid choice for sustainability.

During transit, a large number of products were getting damaged, so Castrads asked: How can we double down on sustainability whilst also protecting our merchandise.

The goal: to move towards fully recyclable biodegradable packaging and remove plastic completely at a competitive price whilst protecting high-value products.

The Solution

Magical Mushroom Company® created a sleek new design using pads that plug into the fins of the radiator to stay in place during packaging, handling and transportation.

Following prototyping using CAD designs and 3D modelling, Mushroom® Packaging was then custom-made at volume from upcycled hemp and mycelium – the mass of branching, thread-like hyphae that is the building block of fungi – at our new 7,500 sq ft plant, Mushroom 2 in Attenborough.

The packaging was then tested rigorously in different drop, impact and stress tests.

The Results

Castrads has eliminated most if not all damages during transportation, improving customer satisfaction and reputation.

Making the informed choice of Mushroom® Packaging – which biodegrades in just 40 days whilst giving nutrients back to the planet – Castrads has also successfully reduced its use of fossil-fuel based plastics to house thousands of radiators.

The large order from Castrads shows Magical Mushroom Company®’s capacity for delivering an alternative to polymer-based plastics at scale, price and performance.

“ we have made significant steps to displace EPS ”