Material Expertise and Design Community Connections Ensure User-Friendly Packaging for New Hydration Pouch
Kingsport, TN (February 8, 2011) – Eastman Chemical Company's material expertise and connections with the design community paid huge dividends in the January 18-28 HydroPack™ demonstration project conducted by Hydration Technology Innovations (HTI) and the Kenya Water for Health Organization (KWAHO).
Eastman cellulose acetate is the heart of the membrane that enables the HydroPack™ -- a paper-thin, four by six inch pouch – to transform dirty and brackish water into clean and healthy 12-ounce sources of hydration.
Eastman also helped fund the project, which set out to validate the efficacy of the HydroPack™ as the default hydration solution for the first phase of an emergency relief situation. HTI distributed approximately 27,000 HydroPacks to 90 households in the village of Mudimbia.
When HTI requested design assistance to ensure the HydroPack™ is as user-friendly as possible, Eastman recommended
Modern Edge, located in Portland, Oregon, and near HTI's production facility in Albany, Oregon.
For the past 10 years, Eastman has collaborated directly with some of the world's top designers, engaging in high-profile projects ranging from eyewear to consumer packaging to medical devices. The company also sponsors the Industrial Designers Society of America's (IDSA) annual education conference.
"We don't know what language will be used. We don't know if it's a literate or a non-literate population. So as we approach the packaging issues, it became clear to us that it would be very important that no matter who receives the pouch, they can quickly understand what it is and why they should use it," says Nathan Jones, HTI's Vice President for Government and Institutional Sales.
Austen Angell, president of Modern Edge, is a leading expert in materials and manufacturing processes and has participated in numerous humanitarian projects similar to the HydroPack™ demonstration. Modern Edge designed the packaging components and graphics for the pilot in Kenya.
"It's all about collecting feedback from the users and learning how people actually use the product before, during, after," says Angell. "It's not just about going in, 'I have an answer and I'm going to perform triage.' But it's a matter of engaging the community so that they can help create the next generation of a solution."
In addition to an in-depth study of 11 Mudimbi households, the Modern Edge team traveled to the Turkana region of Northern Kenya to assess their reaction to the HydroPack™.
The nomadic Turkanas are suffering from a sustained drought compounded by the redirection of historical rivers for agriculture and power, costing them much of their livestock and livelihood.
The design firm conducted 10 separate interviews, including 37 respondents, in order to collect baseline data on graphics, symbol and icon recognition, usage data, and HydroPack™ acceptance from people with minimal exposure to modern branding, packaging, and communications.
Combined with the extensive research in Mudimbia, Modern Edge is helping HTI gain valuable insights from the people who are likely to be using the HydroPack™ in a disaster situation.
"Eastman and Modern Edge are world-class co-innovation partners," says Walter Schultz, CEO of HTI. "This research will give us the independent data that will allow disaster relief organizations and international governments to consider the HydroPack as a superior solution in terms of health benefits, cost reduction, and logistics."
"At Eastman, we live by the credo that innovations in design and technology can make the world a better place," said Mark Costa, Executive Vice President, Specialty Polymers, Coatings and Adhesives, and Chief Marketing Officer at Eastman. "We're proud to do our part and humbled by the experience of seeing our work make an immediate impact on people's lives."
About Hydration Technology Innovations
Hydration Technology Innovations is the developer of the most advanced form of water and wastewater filtration membrane technology in the world. HTI has more than twenty years experience in research and development of advanced separation membrane manufacturing, and water filtration and recycling. HTI is the global leader and pioneer in the manufacture of commercial Forward Osmosis (FO) membrane material, and a global leader in membrane filtration wastewater treatment systems integration and installation. Learn more at www.htiwater.com.
