A shipping container for shipping thermally active materials includes a plurality of structural panels that define a container interior, and are configured for receiving the thermally active materials. The container also includes an exterior disposed adjacent to an environment in which the shipping container is disposed. A thermal barrier member is placeable between the thermally active materials and the environment in which the container is placed. The thermal barrier includes a thermal barrier interior panel and a thermal barrier external panel defining a heat absorbing material receiving cavity. A flowable polymer based heat absorbing material is disposed within the heat absorbing material receiving cavity. The thermal barrier is configured to substantially surround the thermally active materials to reduce the passage of thermal energy between the thermally active materials and the environment in which the shipping container is disposed.