A Trusted Perspective on Sustainable Innovation in Medical Packaging
By Samantha Smith
18-Jun-2026
As the founder and principal consultant of KeeneySmith Consulting LLC, and former Director of Sustainability and Stewardship at Medtronic, I have spent more than two decades advancing packaging design, development, and sustainability strategy across highly regulated industries. My professional experience includes engineering and leadership roles at Honeywell, Procter & Gamble, BIC Consumer Products, Energizer, and Medtronic, where I also managed the Packaging Design and Testing Laboratory in Connecticut. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Packaging Science from Michigan State University, and my work has consistently focused on one core principle: enabling sustainability without compromising performance, safety, or compliance.
Most recently at Medtronic, I established and led a first‑of‑its‑kind Sustainability R&D organization, building a team of 16 professionals dedicated to integrating sustainability directly into products and packaging. Under my leadership, Medtronic launched its first external‑facing sustainability goals for product and packaging, which were prominently featured in the company’s earnings reports—underscoring sustainability as both a technical and business priority.
It is from this perspective that I reviewed rePAC® MDL 60‑CL35 PETG.
After reviewing both the material and the process behind its development, I believe rePAC® MDL 60‑CL35 PETG meets all stated requirements for rigid sterile barrier medical packaging. My assessment reflects a detailed evaluation of the system design, supporting data, and execution discipline demonstrated throughout the product’s development.
What stands out immediately is the rigor of the closed‑loop process supporting this product. From material sourcing through extrusion, testing, and finished rollstock release, the controls over traceability, contamination mitigation, and performance verification are comprehensive and well considered. The system is clearly designed to manage complexity without sacrificing consistency—an essential requirement in healthcare packaging, where the margin for error is effectively zero.
Equally important, the material itself demonstrates chemical equivalence to its virgin counterpart and performs accordingly. Analytical testing, mechanical and aesthetic validation, and post‑sterilization tray performance collectively provide strong evidence that this product delivers the integrity expected of medical‑grade PETG. The tri‑layer A/B/A construction, which isolates recycled content within the core while retaining virgin material at all contact and sealing surfaces, reflects a thoughtful and practical approach to risk mitigation aligned with industry expectations.
I was also impressed by the focus on compliance as a design priority. Adherence to ISO 11607, including full material traceability, lot control, and validation across the packaging life cycle, is clearly established and embedded into the product framework—not treated as a secondary consideration.
Finally, the guarantee of actual, traceable recycled content adds credibility and clarity to sustainability claims without reliance on accounting mechanisms or mass‑balance approaches. Striking this balance between environmental responsibility and uncompromising performance is difficult, and in this case it has been achieved deliberately and successfully.
Based on my review, I believe rePAC® MDL 60‑CL35 PETG delivers on its promise—providing a credible, well‑engineered solution that aligns sustainability goals with the stringent requirements of medical packaging. This statement reflects my professional judgment and personal endorsement, informed by years of experience qualifying materials, managing risk in regulated environments, and leading sustainability initiatives at enterprise scale.
Samantha Smith
KeeneySmith Consulting, LLC