A thermal insulation article for placement in a shipping container to hold an item, comprising: a multi-section thermally insulating pad shaped to be positioned in a cavity of a rectangular prism shipping container to be adjacent to and cover from two to five of out of a floor, four side walls and cover of the container while leaving an interior space to receive the item, wherein the thermally insulating pad includes a plurality of solid panel sections , each panel section holding together as a single unit, each panel section providing a rectangular plate dimensioned to substantially span whichever of the floor, plurality of side walls or cover that the rectangular plate is adjacent, and a film forming a water-proof pocket enclosing the plurality of panel sections , wherein the film forms the pocket enclosing the panel without being bonded to the panel ; wherein the multi-section thermally insulating pad is configured to be foldable at a right angle along a boundary between the panel sections , and wherein the film provides both an interior surface of the multi-section thermally insulating pad and an exterior surface of the multi-section thermally insulating pad where the multi-section thermally insulating pad is folded, characterised in that the panel sections are solid compostable panel sections formed primarily of grain starch, and the film forming a water-proof pocket is a recyclable polyethylene film. a multi-section thermally insulating pad shaped to be positioned in a cavity of a rectangular prism shipping container to be adjacent to and cover from two to five of out of a floor, four side walls and cover of the container while leaving an interior space to receive the item, wherein the thermally insulating pad includes a plurality of solid panel sections , each panel section holding together as a single unit, each panel section providing a rectangular plate dimensioned to substantially span whichever of the floor, plurality of side walls or cover that the rectangular plate is adjacent, and a film forming a water-proof pocket enclosing the plurality of panel sections , wherein the film forms the pocket enclosing the panel without being bonded to the panel ; a plurality of solid panel sections , each panel section holding together as a single unit, each panel section providing a rectangular plate dimensioned to substantially span whichever of the floor, plurality of side walls or cover that the rectangular plate is adjacent, and a film forming a water-proof pocket enclosing the plurality of panel sections , wherein the film forms the pocket enclosing the panel without being bonded to the panel ; wherein the multi-section thermally insulating pad is configured to be foldable at a right angle along a boundary between the panel sections , and wherein the film provides both an interior surface of the multi-section thermally insulating pad and an exterior surface of the multi-section thermally insulating pad where the multi-section thermally insulating pad is folded, characterised in that the panel sections are solid compostable panel sections formed primarily of grain starch, and the film forming a water-proof pocket is a recyclable polyethylene film. <EOS>