Abstract: A system and method for scheduled, trip-based retirement of reused passive thermal control shipping container components. A wide variety of goods are thermally labile and therefore need to be maintained above and/or below a target temperature at all times to prevent spoilage, decomposition, deactivation, transformation, conversion, breakdown, etc. Exemplary thermally labile goods include blood, blood products such as red blood cells (RCBs) and blood platelets, transplantable organs, biological tissue, vaccines, antigens, antibodies, bacteriological samples, immunoassays, pharmaceuticals, enzymes, and single-use chromogenic thermometers.

Abstract: A reverse logistics shipping system 10 for passive thermal control shipping containers 20 that require thermal conditioning at a management facility 100 prior to each use of the container 20 to deliver a thermally labile payload 30 from a distribution facility 200 to a customer facility 300.