How PACT is Revolutionizing Sustainable Packaging: Insights from COO Rodger Mort
We are excited to present an exclusive interview with Rodger Mort, Chief Operating Officer at Packaging and Crating Technologies (PACT). With an impressive 38-year career in green packaging, Rodger has risen from an hourly employee to a pivotal leader in the industry. PACT, renowned for its sustainable corrugated cardboard containers, serves a diverse range of sectors, including commercial, industrial, and military industries.
In this insightful conversation, Rodger discusses PACT’s innovative products, such as the patented Thermo Shield™, which mitigates lithium-ion battery fires, and the newly introduced TR Sleeve™ and TR Envelope™. He also highlights the company’s commitment to sustainability and its significant achievements, including international partnerships and industry recognition.
Rodger’s dedication to creating safe and eco-friendly packaging solutions is not only a professional mission but also a personal one, driven by his desire to ensure a safer future for his family and the environment. Join us as we delve into PACT’s journey, its contributions to sustainable packaging, and Rodger’s vision for the future of the industry.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and your role at PACT?
My name is Rodger Mort and I’m the chief operating officer at Packaging and Crating Technologies. PACT® is a global manufacturer of durable, recyclable corrugated containers for the commercial, industrial and military industries, as well as a patented, fire-suppressant packaging wrap called Thermo ShieldTM, which is designed to control thermal runaway to prevent dangerous and oftentimes deadly fires caused by EVs, E-mobility equipment, laptop computers, handheld electronic devices and anything else that contains lithium-ion batteries. New to market are the TR Sleeve TM, a paper-based wrap that goes around each battery cell, TR Envelope TM to safely store and recycle cell phones and PACT Lion-X TM, the world’s first water-based fire extinguisher.
Besides ensuring that our products are customized, delivered on time and within budget to our diverse clients, my role as COO is to expand our ever-growing safety solutions to new markets both in America and abroad, while educating the general public on safe battery handling, charging and discarding processes. Current sectors that we serve include aerospace, medical, electronics, tooling, machinery, furniture, fine art, logistics and the automotive.
In fact, at my direction, PACT embarked in an international partnership with BS Technics, a thermal interface material company in Korea, which allows the expansion of Thermo ShieldTM and TR SleeveTM into the Asian market for such multi-national companies as Samsung, Hyundai, and LG Electronics, among other popular brands.
How did you get involved with PACT and what drew you to this industry?
A veteran of the corrugated paper industry, I was working for a company in Portland before it relocated to Ohio in 2010. Around that time, I met Michael Jackson, owner of Wood Free Crating in New York City. We became friends and worked together to improve the company’s packing methods. Although Michael died in 2022, I now run PACT with his sons, Michael Jr. and Robert. When I joined the company, we were looking at ways to make our operations more efficient. We had 20 people making 20 crates a day, and we changed that to 11 people making hundreds of crates a day.
PACT’s specially designed, corrugated cardboard crates are strong, water-resistant and able to withstand extreme pressure and temperatures. The crates use thicker, more durable corrugated parts, which can be assembled by hand quickly. Unlike single-layer packing boxes, PACT’s boxes are longer lasting and can be used again and again and recycled safely in a landfill.
What’s more, our management team boasts a collective 25+ years of green packaging expertise and continues to embrace an eco-friendly future. As a father of 3 and grandfather of 6, it’s both my personal and professional mission to create a safe future for my family- both in terms of their physical safety, as well as the health of the environment.
PACT recently showcased its solutions at the European Battery Show in Stuttgart. Can you share more about the significance of this event for your company?
Our team just returned from the European Battery Show in Stuttgart, Germany, which attracted 20,000 engineers, research and development executives, quality control experts, business leaders and top manufacturing companies from around the world. This forum is extremely significant to PACT as it is the only gathering geared toward both the battery and EV tech communities and the largest industry event in Europe.
As the number of battery technologies continue to increase to power up the modern world’s multitude of electric vehicles, cell phones, vapes, e-bikes, scooters and countless others, so too has the threat of lethal lithium-ion battery fires. In fact, every day, somewhere around the world, there is death and destruction as a result of a lithium-ion battery not being charged, stored or disposed of properly.
The statistics are staggering. According to research provided by UL Solutions, a testing, inspection and certification service company, in 2023 at least 1,600 incidents, 611 injuries, and 115 fatalities were related to lithium-ion battery fires in the U.S. Australia currently reports that lithium-ion batteries are causing more than 10,000 fires a year and a fire just erupted this week at a lithium-ion battery factory in South Korea, killing 22 people.
The first responders, waste engineers and the general public are all united making pleas for better regulation and safety standards. We, at PACT, are both excited and honored to be delivering a viable solution.
You introduced the TR Sleeve TM and TR Envelope TM at the show. What kind of response did you receive from the industry and attendees?
Not only did we surpass our sales goals, but also met affiliated companies that can enhance our products. We were blown away – in a good way – by the interest and excitement around our patented innovations that reduce battery fires currently causing extensive property damage, personal injury and death. Our booth showcased our American-made solutions to safely transport and recycle lithium batteries that are used to power hand-held devices, like cell phones, Bluetooth headsets and headphones, computer accessories, digital cameras, e-readers, game controllers, laptops, tablets, smartwatches and smoke/fire/carbon monoxide detectors, as well as E-mobility equipment such as electric bikes, scooters, hoverboards, unicycles and electric cars.
What sets the TR Sleeve TM and TR Envelope TM apart from other products in the market?
To date, our patented Thermo ShieldTM is the world’s first fire-suppressant packaging that prevents thermal runaway and only product of its kind to pass the proposed testing standards of the SAE International and Transport Canada for safety in shipping lithium-ion batteries via land, sea and air. Both TR Sleeve TM and TR Envelope TM are comprised of a lightweight, paper material with a special ink that provides a moisture vapor application to prevent thermal runaway, a phenomenon in which a lithium-ion cell enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state caused by extremely high temperatures, shaking or puncturing during transit.
Thermal runaway can result in the ejection of toxic gas, shrapnel and particulates, as well as smoke and fire. If this occurs, Thermo Shield’s protective paper wrap undergoes a chemical reaction and creates a non-toxic moisture vapor cloud that immediately cools the internal environment of the package, while limiting oxygen around the payload. This process allows the individual battery cell to simply burn out, prevent thermal runaway from spreading to other areas of the container, suppress a potentially deadly fire explosion, and shield the surrounding environment.
Thermo Shield TM is capable of containing temperatures up to 800 degrees Celsius or nearly 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit, while restricting the temperature outside of the wrap to 60 degrees Celsius/140 degrees Fahrenheit. Lithium-ion battery fires are very difficult to extinguish and usually have to smolder out on their own after many hours, emitting lethal chlorine carbides, fluoride gases and acids. This makes our product’s ability to contain both the fire and residual smoke within the protective wrap even more critical.
Leaving any lithium-ion battery to charge unattended is a major safety hazard, but can become a crime scene especially in large, populated cities like New York and Chicago where entire blocks have burnt down and many human lives have been lost, often firefighters, police officers, EMS technicians and other first responders.
To address this escalating issue, PACT recently designed a special product just for E-mobility batteries – the TR SleeveTM, in which the specially-coated, fire-suppressant paper is wrapped around each lithium-ion battery cell to mitigate thermal runaway between them, thus serving as a heat and flame barrier. Two independent 3rd party organizations tested TR Sleeve multiple times and concluded that TR sleeve prevented thermal runaway propagation amongst cells.
For smaller handheld devices such as cell phones, pagers, Bluetooth headsets and headphones, computer accessories, digital cameras, e-readers, game controllers, laptops, tablets, smartwatches and smoke/fire/carbon monoxide detectors and A, B, C and D batteries, the TR Envelope TM provides an eco-friendly way to ship or transport products safely to a battery recycler.
What are PACT’s main goals and priorities for the next year?
Our companywide goal is to undergo the necessary testing protocols and secure the required credentials to launch our PACT Lion-XTM product to market within the year, while continuing to educate and expand on the myriad of safe and sustainable solutions to all of our vertical markets. Thus far, our extinguisher has successfully passed all burn tests conducted by VTEC Laboratories in NYC, the recommended lab by the Fire Department of NY.
Are there any new products or innovations on the horizon that you can tell us about?
We are extremely proud of our latest and greatest innovation– PACT Lion-X TM, the world’s first specialized fire extinguishing agent that instantly contains and destroys deadly fires involving lithium-ion batteries, battery packs and chargers.
PACT Lion X TM is a pre-mixed, water-based agent that forms a low-expansion foam from an aspirating nozzle. The solution is compatible with both portable and wheeled extinguishers for either manual or automatic spraying. The agent can also be piped directly into EV battery packs and energy storage system (“ESS”) modules from agent storage tanks without foaming. PACT Lion-X TM is able to quench lithium-ion fires upwards of 1,600 F degrees – typically within 30 seconds, while absorbing a greater amount of heat energy. Equally important, when sprayed, it transforms smoke formation from lithium-ion fires such that virtually zero hydrogen and methane is produced, so these toxic gases won’t be released into the environment.
Our proprietary, American-made solution sticks to 3-D shapes, overhead and vertical surfaces, and easily penetrates into small crevices. Additionally, when the fire is completely out, PACT Lion-X TM only leaves behind a fine powder residue, which continues to cool surfaces and is easily washed off with a wet cloth or paper towel. Its flexibility and universality are revolutionary.
Other benefits of PACT Lion-X TM include its ability to extinguish fires in other materials like wood, paper and fiber, as well as items and structures, such as furniture, curtains, shelves, cars, boats, carpets, walls and ceilings by preventing the spread of flames without damaging the sprayed items. Further, the solution is designed to be used without personal protective equipment (PPE) and is safe to wash and flush into sewers.
How does PACT plan to expand its market reach, particularly in the EV and renewable energy sectors?
PACTs marketing philosophy has always been to let the product speak for itself. We hope that when PACT Lion-X TM is launched later this year everyone will be as excited as we are with its results.
Sustainability is a core commitment for PACT. How do your products contribute to a more sustainable future?
According to MoveBudha.com, the moving industry generates tons of waste, in fact, 900 million cardboard boxes, 90 million pounds of packing paper and 30 million rolls of tape to be exact! One Connecticut manufacturing company is on a mission to reduce these amounts in American landfills and the overall environment by offering a variety of reusable and recyclable corrugated cardboard containers for the commercial, industrial and military sectors instead of traditional wood, plastic and metal materials.
All of our corrugated cardboard container systems are able to be stacked and stored flat, hence, maximizing warehouse space and reduce shipping weights, a welcomed benefit with current escalating fuel prices. Equally important, there is no compromise in stack-ability of up to 4,000 pounds and reusability, which helps preserve the environment with less waste. Additionally, when they are ready to be disposed of, PACT’s products can be brought to any recycling center or eco-friendly dumpster. Finally, adopting our products company-wide addresses another pressing issue: the protracted labor shortage facing many other sectors worldwide. With companies looking to do more with less manpower, our product’s easy-to-use nature significantly reduces labor-intensive work.
Can you elaborate on the environmental benefits of using Thermo Shield technology in lithium-ion batteries?
Thermo Shield TM stops thermal runaway (TR), a phenomenon in which a lithium-ion cell enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state caused by extremely high temperatures, transit or defect, which can result in a fire. Not only do lithium-ion battery fires generate intense heat as they burn for hours, sometimes days, but they can also eject shrapnel, smoke and fluoride gas, a toxic threat to the environment and human beings.
What other sustainable practices does PACT incorporate into its manufacturing and operational processes?
Just like our entire product line, PACT operates as a lean and green manufacturing machine! We specialize in low inventory volumes based on market demand and quick turnaround times with our off-the-shelf, customized, eco-friendly packaging solutions, which are all reusable and recyclable.
Can you share some success stories or feedback from your clients that highlight the impact of your products?
Our clients, which range from commercial moving companies to battery recyclers and everything in between, can have confidence about our rigorous due diligence processes, certifications earned and environmental-enhancing impact.
For our corrugated cardboard line, one of our customers – Tier One, a military moving company, solely uses our Liftvan container when relocating Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Marine, Air Force personnel and their families from post to post and coast to coast. Compared with conventional wood crates, PACT’s corrugated Liftvans are so much lighter that we saved Tier One $700 per load.
Tier One also is enjoying another benefit: PACT’s corrugated Liftvans are more sustainable shipping containers than traditional wood crates, which can seldom be recycled and, in addition, often come with hefty disposal fees. Thus, our products offer an eco-friendlier and more affordable solution.
For our Thermo Shield TM product line, our client Sunnking is an e-scrap removal company that reduces the amount of unwanted electronic equipment in landfills. A key facet of electronics recycling is handling batteries, whose dangerous chemicals necessitate special care. Further, the company is required to dispose of damaged, defective or recalled batteries. Originally using vermiculite, a sand-based insulator to recycle these dangerous items, Sunnking executives discovered that Thermo Shield TM would allow them to safely pack and fit more batteries in a single shipment, thus, saving on shipping costs. More importantly, our fire-suppressant packaging mitigated dangerous thermal runaway events, even for batteries charged at high levels. This was a critical differentiator as battery recyclers rarely have a firm understanding of the charge levels of the batteries that they handle. Of course, the higher the charge, the more dangerous a thermal runaway event would be.
Since incorporating Thermo Shield TM into its battery recycling process, Sunnking has experienced significantly improved efficiency and zero runaway events, resulting in a smoother operation and peace of mind within its employees.
Lastly, our company’s qualifications speak for themselves. PACT is a member of the Commercial Relocation Network, the Council on Safe Transportation of Hazardous Materials and the International Association of Movers. Our company is also a preferred vendor for the US Department of Defense and has been awarded a special permit from the US Department of Transportation for the shipping of lithium-ion batteries, as well as passed the proposed SAE International 27 test standard, a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial vehicle industries.
What trends or challenges do you foresee in the sustainable packaging industry over the next few years?
Energy density within battery packs has increased greatly over the last decade. This increase makes batteries more dangerous than ever and cheap overseas batteries make it much worse. One of our biggest challenges is working with battery manufacturers to incorporate TR Sleeve into their production to make safer battery packs.
How is PACT preparing to address these trends or challenges?
PACT’s newest invention – PACT Lion-X – is the cutting edge of lithium-ion fire extinguishers and will round out our product portfolio. This will allow us to offer a full range of products to prevent and extinguish lithium-ion battery fires.
What motivates you in your role as COO of PACT
Creating products that save lives, while helping to preserve the environment. I rest easier at night knowing that my efforts are creating a better world for my children and grandchildren.
Can you share any advice for aspiring professionals looking to make a career in sustainable packaging and manufacturing?
Do it, but always remember that innovation and persistence are crucial to your success! Our products are not only built to last, but also reusable, recyclable and offer a full range of safety features. Become an expert in your field and do the legwork to secure the necessary certifications that will set you apart from the competition.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers about PACT and its mission?
In the ever-changing world of electronic battery technology, our family-owned and operated business is at the forefront of innovation and safety and we are confident that PACT products become a household name on the global stage.
