What is Ecofoam Insulation and How is it Used by Cordova?
Ecofoam is an amazing product by itself. When integrated into a Cordova Outdoors Basecamp Class rotationally molded cooler, it’s straight up awesome. Ecofoam consists of two components that are mixed and injected with Ecomate into parts on site at Cordova Outdoors’ facility in Idaho’s Treasure Valley. The components mix, react, expand and set in place under the watchful eyes of trained technicians. It’s an almost hypnotic process. In many ways, the Ecofoam is like nature: a force to behold. Once the reaction begins, it happens at its own pace and is unstoppable, so precise controls and measurements like automated injection shot times measured in tenths of seconds are absolutely crucial to quality and safety.
The insulation sets into a rigid form, chemically bonded to the inner walls of the cooler body and lid. When set and cured within the rotomolded shell, the strength is incredible. Like, dropping a cooler from a roof onto concrete or park your skid steer on your cooler tough.
Cordova Coolers use Ecofoam Insulation: Earth Says “Thanks!”
Manufacturing things, any and all things, has an environmental impact. Cordova Outdoors takes this fact seriously and works to build the best products while producing as little waste as possible.
One way the Company walks the sustainability talk is by using Ecofoam as its only source of insulation for Basecamp Class™ Coolers. Coupled with Ecomate blowing agent technology, Cordova Outdoors’ insulation manufacturing process is certified to have NO Global Warming Potential (GWP), produce NO Ozone Depletion (ODP) and is Volatile Organic Compound (VOC)-exempt, meaning it does not create smog. Boom. You’re welcome, earth. We love you, too.
What Puts the Eco-friendly in Ecofoam?
In addition to having no GWP, ODP, or VOC impact as mentioned earlier, Ecofoam meets the most stringent environmental regulations, and is so eco-friendly that NO Prop 65 labeling is required. And not to brag, but the product is also free of HFCs, HCFCs, and CFCs. Bragging a little bit, it’s Montreal and Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement and Kigali Amendment compliant. Piling on now, it also meets all Federal EPA SNAP regulations.
OK, Ecofoam is Eco-friendly, but Does it Insulate Well?
Is Will Hunting good at math? Yeah. It does. R-value is a measure of thermal resistance. For reference, an R-value of 1 is the resistance of heat transfer from one side of an inch of solid wood to another. Typical closed-cell spray foam has an R-value of 6. One inch of Ecofoam has an R-value of 8. (Mic drop.)
What Else is Cordova Doing to Ensure it Manufactures Coolers Sustainably?
Thanks for asking! Here’s one other cool (yup, pun intended) thing Cordova does: The colorway is “Obsidian”, but it’s the most sustainable cooler on the market. Why? Because it not only uses Ecofoam, but is constructed entirely with recycled, post-industrial, landfill-diverted polyethylene. Meaning: Cordova Outdoors made a cooler badass enough for Batman (like, Dark Knight Batman, not the weird ones from the 1990s movies or lame ones from TV) out of plastic that was otherwise headed for a dump near you. Why is it “Obsidian”? Because all the different colors of scrap are cleaned, mixed, and processed—and the beautiful obsidian black colorway that comes out is the presence of every color in the visible spectrum combined.
But Does an Obsidian Colored Cooler Get Extra Hot in the Sun?
It is true that darker colors absorb more solar radiation. But if you’ve read this far, you already know that all Cordova Outdoors Basecamp Class Coolers use Ecofoam with an R-value of 8 per inch. The cooler walls are 3” thick on average. Feel free to math it up, but the takeaway is that even when the outside warms up, the Ecofoam makes sure the inside stays ice cold. That’s what it was born to do.
How Eco-Foam is a Win For The Environment and The End User—and How The Obsidian Cooler Encapsulates This Principle.
Go ahead, buy quality gear that is conscientiously manufactured in America, looks and works great, and is designed to last for decades. Buy it, use it, maintain it, pass it on.
