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Dissolving Packaging that Keeps the OR Clean: Healthcare Packaging · Through the Line: Packaging and Processing

• 0:03
  Speaker: Welcome to Through the Line, the podcast exploring innovations and information across the packaging and processing landscape.
• 0:11
  Speaker: From topics impacting consumer packaged goods and healthcare packaging to the latest technologies in food processing operations.
• 0:22
  Speaker 3: Liz Cunio here, editor-in-chief of healthcare packaging.
• 0:25
  Speaker 3: What follows is an interview I did with both SmartSolve and Safe Tech, all about the new partnership they have that combines water-soluble packaging with medical waste solidification.
• 0:34
  Speaker 3: This new solution improves OR safety, simplifies workflows, and reduces packaging waste.
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: Listen in.
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: I'm here with Ashley from SmartSolve and Victoria from Safe Tech.
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: And we're here to talk about your company's partnership and the technology behind the self-dissolving zero waste pouch stock, which is super interesting for many industries, but today we'll talk about the medical implications of that.
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: So why don't we begin?
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: You guys can introduce yourselves and your role at the company.
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: Sure.
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: I'll go first.
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: Ashley Hutz, Senior Director of Sales and Marketing.
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: So I lead our commercial team, and I've been here about five years and really just enjoy what we're offering the market with really innovative dispersing packaging technologies.
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: Awesome.
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: And I'm Victoria Robinson and I'm the marketing manager at Safe Tech.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: We're responsible for marketing all of the products and helping our sales team move our products forward and getting our message out there about who we are as an American manufacturer.
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: Awesome.
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: So you guys are the experts here on the products, if we'll say.
• 1:41
  Speaker 3: So why don't we start with you, Ashley?
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: How does the self-dissolving pouch stock like even work?
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: What is it doing and how is it just self-dissolving?
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I love that.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: So everything in the Smart Solve portfolio is paper-based and water soluble.
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: And that's not exactly a household term yet.
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: We hope that changes, but most people don't know that there is technically a dissolving paper out there because it's been used in very back of house applications and not on the public front.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: What it is essentially is paper, wood pulp fibers that have a really unique fiber structure and are put together with an ingredient called carboxymethicellulose in a little sodium.
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: And you can think of it like a chain link fence.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: I'm using my hands here, where once the material comes in contact with water, those wood pulp fibers, they start to separate, but they remain.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: And everything that remains is flushable per the highest standards of flushability.
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: You ladies would laugh.
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: I know a silly amount about flushability.
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: It's a really fun topic.
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: Who would have thought?
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: But there are standards out there for what is flushable.
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: And our materials meet the same standards and actually exceed them that toilet paper and wipes are set against.
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: So there's a couple of standards we won't go there today.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: That's essentially how the material works.
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: And we coat onto that to create different technologies.
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: We have pressure-sensitive labels, and then we also have the flexible packaging material that Safe Tech is using today.
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: Awesome.
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: And then so I guess we'll go then to you, Victoria from Safe Tech.
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: Why did you guys choose this material and how does it work for your specific product?
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so we chose this material because of the challenges that existed in the healthcare space.
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: What they're doing, you figure when you're in an OR, things are moving quick.
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: There's a lot of blood, infectious bodily fluids out there.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: The complaint from the end users was that we need something that's going to work quickly, help us transition over our ORs, and also help us comply with OSHA compliance and keep our workers safe.
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: So the old format that we used to have was a pouch that you would have to cut open, measure out how much you needed for the canister and pour it in.
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: So we were looking for something that would eliminate that step of having to cut and measure and pour in and have to be accurate for the container.
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: So SmartSolves amazing packaging for us.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: We were able to put our medical grade solidifier in there.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: And now we have this convenient package that you literally just drop in and let it do its thing.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: And there's no cutting, there's no measuring, there's no weighing, there's no trying to fit it all into a tiny little hole.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: And it just helps the healthcare workers do that much faster and safer.
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: And how long does it take to fully solidify within the container?
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: It honestly depends on how much liquid is in the container.
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: But I've seen it go up to 30 seconds to a minute, depending on how much liquid is in there.
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: Okay.
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: And it works real much more quickly because the packaging dissolves so fast with the liquid that the solidifier is reaching the contents much quicker.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: So it's a quicker process.
• 4:59
  Speaker 3: Okay.
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: And so you mentioned challenges in medical waste disposal.
• 5:03
  Speaker 3: And I heard you say OSHA.
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: So I'm sure there's requirements and regulations, safety for the workers, right?
• 5:09
  Speaker 3: What else what are the other challenges for medical waste disposal?
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess that's the biggest one is OSHA compliance, right?
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: Because when you're thinking about medical waste in its original form, it's liquid.
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: And think about when you're handling liquids, even for us as average people, you're in your kitchen, you drop a gallon of milk on the floor, and next thing you know, it's splattered literally everywhere, making a huge mess to clean up.
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: So it's the same kind of idea when you're in the medical space, right?
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: If you have liquid bodily fluids and that drops or spills, or there's a hole in the bag, the splashing and the contents will go everywhere, which is not safe for even patients, healthcare workers.
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: So when you solidify that product, it helps alleviate some of that potential for being infected by the waste if it does happen to spill or splash.
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: So I think that's kind of one of the biggest things.
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: And then the second biggest thing, like I mentioned, is just turning over those rooms faster.
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: I mean, when you're in that space of you're doing surgeries, you're in an ER, you're trying to move patients out very quickly and efficiently, having a product that works fast to solidify that waste, I think is very important in that space.
• 6:22
  Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely.
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: So it sounds like in the past, you were using a product where you would open it and dump it in.
• 6:29
  Speaker 3: So you've been using the technology, I guess you would say, for a while.
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: What's really new is now you don't, it skips a step, saves time, and now you have no waste, correct?
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: From having to cut open a pouch and throw that pouch away.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: And not only the pouch format, but we also have a lot of our solidifiers and bottles.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: So it reduces that cost for having dispose of the plastic, whether using a bottle or a pour in pouch.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: So pouch, I should say.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: So you're eliminating the cost of having to dispose of those materials once you're done.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: It's more eco-friendly, which has been great for our customers.
• 7:08
  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's really cool.
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: And Ashley, I'll throw a question your way.
• 7:12
  Speaker 3: It's such an interesting product.
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: And I know you guys are in a lot of markets.
• 7:16
  Speaker 3: So when did when did you first?
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: Is this your first, I guess I should say first time in the medical or waste disposal in a in an OR kind of setting?
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: Yes, it was.
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: And we've been working with Safe Tech since I think 2017.
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: Oh wow.
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: Predates even me coming here.
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: So I've always been there since I've been here, and I've always found it such a fascinating application.
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: So yeah, I will say that there is interest.
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: We've had some other conversations, but I think this packaging with this application, it just makes perfect sense.
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's cool to see.
• 7:51
  Speaker 3: I've never seen anything like it.
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: Medical waste disposal is not something I think about on the daily or even understand fully, but it's interesting to see a specific problem and then a great solution for it.
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: Let's see.
• 8:04
  Speaker 3: Going back to you, Victoria, can you quantify the impact that the drop impact format has had on worker safety, spill reduction, process efficiency compared with traditional tear-open solidifier packets?
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: I know overall it's better.
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: I'm just, is there any definitive data to support that?
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah, no, absolutely.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: So it's been very significant in the healthcare facilities.
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: Some of the things I've already mentioned, it creates less waste from even spilling the solidifier when you're not getting it into that specific opening.
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: There's no need to open the package or measure the right amount, pre-filled.
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: And what's really cool too is that its proportions fit perfectly into the porthole of a suction canister.
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: So it fits in perfectly.
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: You literally just drop it in.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: The dimensions are perfect.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: So you've got room around there and it just drops in and starts doing its thing.
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: And it helps with that turnaround time.
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: But there's less time for the healthcare worker spending measuring, pouring, cutting.
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: If they can't get it open, that's time wasted for them.
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: It's been super helpful with helping them do it a lot faster.
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: Have you received any specific feedback from OR workers on the usability of the product?
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't say very specifically.
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: We don't get unfortunately people, you know, writing into us and raving about our products as much as we probably would like.
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: But I know from just talking with the sales team, the feedback is people absolutely love it.
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: And when they don't know about it and they learn about it, they absolutely love that product because of the items I already mentioned.
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: It just makes it so much easier.
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: And for people that have been using your traditional cut and pour pouch, this just is so much easier.
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: Like I said, you literally take it and just drop it in and it goes to work.
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: And I hear a lot about limited space and limited time in the OR.
• 9:49
  Speaker 3: So it sounds like that kind of solves for both, which is pretty interesting.
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: Ashley, we'll switch over to you guys and talking a little bit about sustainability.
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: I don't know how much that was like the end goal for this project in general.
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: Or so just as healthcore healthcare organizations pursue sustainability, how do smart solves water-soluble materials compare with conventional plastic or paper-based packaging in terms of waste reduction and really end of life?
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I love, love, love this question.
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: You've teed me up to talk about it.
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: And the the honest answer is really end of life.
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: That's where conventional packaging is falling short in healthcare and in other markets as well, because a lot of it is multimaterial.
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: It's film laminated to foil, it's paper bonded to plastic.
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: So it's these mixed materials.
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: And those laminates are very difficult to recycle.
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: When you look at recyclability rates, we're looking at 9% globally.
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: And that's not even just in this specific market.
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: Our materials approach it from a different angle, right?
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: Our materials are designed to dissolve in water and biodegrade.
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: And instead of persisting like a mixed material would, they're going to break down and go right through that system, whether it's a waterway or helping to eliminate waste as much as possible.
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: From a healthcare organization standpoint, you know, measuring an organization that's measuring its footprint that changes both the volume of durable waste headed to the landfill and the environmental profile of what's left behind.
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: So yeah, compared to conventional plastic, the headline is very different, right?
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: So it's traditional plastics are going to fragment and remain in the landfill, our materials biodegrade very quickly.
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: And all the talk lately has been on EPR in the and for all packaging, really, not just in this space.
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: So it's interesting when we talk about end of life that the viewpoints now are really like it is on the manufacturer to understand where this packaging or where the materials are ending up.
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: So it's interesting when we talk about this one, they're gone.
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: They're completely dissolved, if you will.
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: So very timely with what's going on with EPR.
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: There's also a lot of talk about microplastics, right?
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: And microplastics are everywhere.
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: We're learning in our bodies.
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: Where the average consumer was concerned about sea turtles five years ago, we're actually more concerned about people now because this not that we don't love the sea turtles, but this stuff is ending up in our major organs and our breast milk and our bodies.
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: And I don't know about you ladies, but I have actually gone through and sorry, my phone's ringing.
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: I have gone through and eliminated as much plastic, even in my kitchen, just for my family, using glass instead.
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: And so I think that's at the consumer level.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: And I know we're talking about healthcare here, but where we can eliminate plastic, maybe when that that's kind of the angle we're looking at it from.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: I know for us, I wish we could use this product in more of our products so that they could be more sustainable and biodegradable because plastics are such an issue.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: Hopefully, the techn technology will advance further and further, and we can start using this product in more ways than we currently are.
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: I love that.
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely.
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: We write a lot about single-use plastics in healthcare because plastics, of course, prevalent in every industry, but definitely in healthcare in the hospital settings.
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: Cool to cool to see a different packaging material and substrate for the industry.
• 13:18
  Speaker 3: So, Ashley, do you see opportunities for this disposable packaging technology to expand into other healthcare opportunities or applications?
• 13:25
  Speaker 3: You said yes, hopefully, such as infection prevention products, sterile processing, pharmaceutical packaging.
• 13:32
  Speaker 3: And what challenges would need to be addressed first?
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so I think I definitely see an opportunity in healthcare.
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: Where the challenges are today is it's not a sterile material.
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: So we're probably not going to be holding it.
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: But where I see opportunity in healthcare would be in pharmaceutical packaging.
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: So maybe we could be the outer material to a kit while the medical components would be primarily wrapped by something that is sterile.
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: There's a lot of kitting that happens out there.
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: So we could be the wrapper that holds all of that together.
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: So you have a reduction there.
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think there's a lot of opportunities in, as I mentioned, pharmaceutical packaging, where a lot of that today is metalized laminated structures, you know.
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: So where could we be the pouch that that holds certain things?
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: So I think there's a lot of applications.
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: I'm no healthcare expert by any means.
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: Hopefully, this will create some interest and get people thinking about where is something that is single use and temporary that maybe doesn't need a lot of barrier.
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: Barrier would be another challenge where moisture and oxygen barrier properties used and thought about in the packaging industry have traditionally been a barrier, a barrier for us, not having barrier.
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: We are introducing new technologies in 2027 that will increase barrier while maintaining dispersability and fleshability.
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: So that's an exciting development that I think will also open doors in food packaging as well.
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: Ooh, okay.
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I was wondering, you know, thinking about the an application, I have these little packets of a supplement and I have to tear it open and dump it in, which is totally fine.
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: But it's would there ever be a future where I could just dump it in that nutraceuticals?
• 15:20
  Speaker 3: Absolutely.
• 15:20
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 15:22
  unknown: Yeah.
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: We're working on some opportunities today.
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: And it's going to depend on shelf life and how the products used.
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: Our material tends to be something that people want to poke and prod and throw in a cryo chamber as they're looking at developing new new products with it.
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: But we get that.
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: It's an innovation, it's very unique.
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: But I do think increased barrier properties are going to open the door to things like you just said, drink mixes.
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: There's a huge growth of that market as well.
• 15:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's very, really cool.
• 15:51
  Speaker 3: My last question was for both of you, but we've touched on it.
• 15:54
  Speaker 3: It was really just how much is sustainability part of the conversation today when talking about new life sciences packages or products.
• 16:02
  Speaker 3: And it you already alluded both of you to that.
• 16:05
  Speaker 3: It's definitely a part of the conversation.
• 16:07
  Speaker 3: Any other last comments on the sustainability angle?
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: I think for us, we're not really a retail product manufacturer.
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: So we don't find it to be a huge discussion topic because we're not in that specific field.
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: But we do find a lot of our larger healthcare distributors have their own sustainability policies and they're expecting their suppliers to match that.
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: And this isn't really on the packaging end, but we do participate in a lot of those sustainability audits that they ask of us.
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: So it is nice when we can turn around and say, we at least do have a product.
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: We're considering sustainability, like and we're implementing that into our products.
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: And would we love to do it more?
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, if we can find a way to do it.
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: So it's definitely a conversation, I think, on everybody's mind at this time.
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: Are the audits more for like how your processes are manufacturing and the systems in place at the facilities and such?
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: So we participate in SMEDA, so SEDEX members ethical trade audit.
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: And they come in and basically look at how are we socially treating our workers?
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: What are we doing for waste management?
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: How are we participating as a manufacturer in the world?
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: And are we doing the best that we can to make sure our footprint is leaving not a ton of things around?
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, very interesting.
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 17:27
  Speaker 2: From our standpoint, sustainability is always a part of the conversation.
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: But I will say we've noticed a subtle shift where it was the focus, but now it's like we don't know that people are really paying just for sustainability.
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: They're also paying what they really want is convenience, right?
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: So brands that are really pushing sustainability, yes, that's great.
• 17:49
  Speaker 2: But I think what it's more about is convenience and developing an experience.
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: So I think that's even true in the healthcare setting.
• 17:56
  Speaker 2: If a healthcare OR worker can say, the experience of dumping this other thing in here is not so great.
• 18:02
  Speaker 2: I'm making a mess.
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: Whereas it's convenient and I've created an experience where it's so easy for those workers to just throw it into this thing.
• 18:11
  Speaker 2: So that's very true in other markets that SmartSolve is seeing as well.
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: It's not just sustainability, though that's important, but it's convenience and it's experience.
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: And then just a cherry on top here is the whole EPR landscape.
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: So extended producer responsibility, it's here, it's in seven states, it's not going anywhere.
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: In fact, it's only going to increase.
• 18:32
  Speaker 2: And a lot of brands are freaking out, to put it mildly, because how do you sell into multiple states across the United States where EPR is not harmonized?
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: It looks different in every state.
• 18:46
  Speaker 2: So from our perspective, we see this as a benefit of our materials because a lot of those states, like California is saying compostable or recyclable are not in the market, but 2030 or 2032, or you pay fees.
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: And so we're looking at our materials, especially our latest material, Piernil, could be an exemption or could be what's called an eco-modulated fee, where they're saying because this is a better material, you will pay less of a fee.
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: And again, those fees go back to funding the infrastructure that helps us create more circularities.
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: Interesting, right?
• 19:21
  Speaker 2: So there's a lot that's coming.
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: And I think brands that are preparing for that environment are going to be better suited for it.
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: And we're assessing it too.
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: This none of this stuff is written in stone yet.
• 19:34
  Speaker 2: There's a lot of things that are moving, but we're our initial investigation into this is that our materials are going to be a benefit in those states.
• 19:43
  Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely.
• 19:44
  Speaker 3: And I think you're right that sustainability is a buzzword.
• 19:47
  Speaker 3: I don't want to say it's a buzzword, but it's we've been talking about it for a long time.
• 19:51
  Speaker 3: And it's always one of those goals, and we're striving for it.
• 19:54
  Speaker 3: But at the end of the day, in the healthcare space, patient safety is number one.
• 19:58
  Speaker 3: And right up against that is what we've talked about is the worker safety, right?
• 20:02
  Speaker 3: Or the user safety of the of the products, Vitoria, right?
• 20:05
  Speaker 3: Like the OR employee and the OR workers who are who are doing the and really patient safety of keeping the OR clean patient.
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's both because I mean you figure not only is it, like you said, the workers, but you also have the patients there as well.
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: So you have to think about protection for both of them and keeping them safe because unfortunately, you do run that risk when you're talking about bodily fluids and blood.
• 20:29
  Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely.
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: And that's really how we got started was the AIDS epidemic.
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: You know, our solidifier was birthed from that, was to try to find something to keep healthcare workers safe during that epidemic because the blood was so infectious at that time and you didn't know who was infected and who was not.
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: So that's where the product ended up being birthed from.
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: And it's nice to see the transition that now we've gone from just creating this solidifier that has helped solve this problem, and now we're developing different packaging types to solve another problem and make it easier to use.
• 21:04
  Speaker: Thank you for listening to Through the Line Packaging and Processing.
• 21:08
  Speaker: You can listen to more episodes on all streaming platforms.
• 21:11
  Speaker: Be sure to visit us at packworld.com, profoodworld.com, and healthcarepackaging.com for more packaging and processing news.
• 21:20
  Speaker: This podcast was edited by Bri Guntz.