Spry Therapeutics, a health technology company, today announced a new partnership agreement with Fiberpartner, a global supplier of staple fibers such as PrimaLoft® Bio™, technical yarns and plastics. With this partnership, Spry Therapeutics will bring the world’s first filtered, biodegradable positioning pillow to the healthcare market – addressing both infection control and sustainability. Finally, healthcare facilities are able to provide patients with a clean and green product that serves as a feasible alternative to traditional pillows and positioning devices.
The healthcare sector accounts for 8.5% of U.S. emissions, with medical devices and products contributing to more than 80% of the industry’s carbon emissions. Hospitals are also responsible for producing over 5 million tons of waste each year. In 2022, 61 of the largest U.S. hospital and health sector companies joined the Health Sector Climate Pledge, committing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030. By offering a biodegradable product that acts as both a pillow and positioning device, Spry is able to streamline purchasing efficiencies, reduce waste and carbon footprint, minimize costs, and improve patient and caregiver safety.
“As a leader in the healthcare innovation space, Spry recognizes the importance of delivering products that prioritize infection prevention and patient positioning, while also minimizing our environmental impact,” says Bill Purdy, CEO of Spry Therapeutics. “By partnering with Fiberpartner and PrimaLoft, we’re now able to make our filtered positioning products even more sustainable – allowing healthcare facilities to prioritize both patient safety and environmental responsibility.”
In its mission to reduce soft-surface contamination, Spry Therapeutics develops products that address hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) via soft surfaces. Using Pneumapure®, the world’s first and only soft-surface filter technology, Spry’s products have been proven effective in blocking the ingress and egress of microbes down to .02 micron. This helps prevent the transmission of deadly diseases – including MRSA, C. diff and more – among patients and caregivers.
Through its new partnership with Fiberpartner, Spry’s positioning pillow now uses PrimaLoft® Bio™ as its fill. PrimaLoft Bio is made from biodegradable*, 100% recycled fibers that break down when exposed to specific environments – such as landfills, oceans and wastewater systems. These fibers maintain their structure throughout use, only biodegrading* when exposed to the naturally-occurring microorganisms found in landfills or marine environments.
“PrimaLoft® Bio™ was developed to combat microplastic pollution throughout the lifecycle of a product,” said PrimaLoft president and CEO, Mike Joyce. “While its application began in the consumer apparel industry, we also see tremendous opportunity to expand the use of this innovative technology into adjacent sectors. We are proud to partner with Fiberpartner and Spry Therapeutics to bring this sustainable solution to the medical category.”
“Partnering with Spry Therapeutics is an important step forward in providing a sustainable solution for medical devices with PrimaLoft® Bio™ materials. Expanding the application of these award-winning biodegradable* materials will improve sustainability and have a positive impact on the medical industry,” says Thomas Wittrup, CEO of Fiberpartner.
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About Spry Therapeutics
Spry Therapeutics is a health technology company that uses a proprietary soft-surface filter technology to block all pathogens from entering or exiting any soft surface to which it’s applied. The Company is committed to providing effective, sustainable alternatives to traditional pillows and positioners that enable healthcare facilities to improve patient and caregiver safety, while reducing carbon emissions. Spry Therapeutics is headquartered in White Plains, NY. For more information, visit sprytx.com.
About Fiberpartner
Fiberpartner ApS is a leading supplier of staple fibers to clients within nonwovens, home textile and other industrial applications worldwide. As a family-owned business, they have more than 160 years of experience in textile. Today, Fiberpartner is offering strong technical and commercial expertise in staple fibers as a raw material. They partner with manufacturers and customers in the researching, developing, sourcing and delivering of fibers at the right quality-to-price ratio for different applications and end-uses. Sustainability is a keyword: a majority of fibers supplied are created from recycled raw materials, namely recycled polyester (RPET). Fiberpartner is located in Denmark, with offices in Bulgaria, Estonia, Poland, Mexico and South Africa.
About PrimaLoft
PrimaLoft, Inc., an advanced material technology company based in Latham, New York, with offices in Xiamen, China, is the world leader in research and innovative development of comfort solutions with high-performance insulations and fabrics. The PrimaLoft® brand, a registered trademark of PrimaLoft, Inc., delivers feel-good products that are used by more than 950 top global brands in outdoor and fashion, home furnishings, work wear, hunting and military applications. With its Relentlessly Responsible™ mission, PrimaLoft strives to balance innovation, performance & sustainability in a pursuit of a better future. PrimaLoft® insulation was originally developed for the U.S. army as a water-resistant, synthetic alternative to down. Today, the brand is recognized as a benchmark for providing unsurpassed comfort in any condition, while lessening its impact on the environment. PrimaLoft, Inc. is active in sustainable textile production through partnerships with the bluesign® system, the International OEKO-TEX® Association, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Higg Index, and the Global Recycled Standard. For more information, please visit stage.primaloft.com, and follow PrimaLoft on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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*93.8% biodegradation in 646 days under ASTM D5511 conditions (landfill environment). 76.6% biodegradation in 973 days under ASTM D6691 conditions (marine/ocean environment). 12.9% biodegradation in 120 days under ASTM D5210 conditions (wastewater environment). The stated rate and extent of degradation do not mean that the product will continue to degrade.