# 195 - Women owned Sustainable Packaging conversation with CEO Heather Fritzsche

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2023-05-25
- Length: 30m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-05-25-195-women-owned-sustainable-packaging-conversation-with-ceo-heather-fritzsche
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/195-women-owned-sustainable-packaging

## Summary

Heather Fritzsche, CEO and co-founder of the Spearhead Group, explains how her company pivoted from promotional products to specialized, sustainable packaging for the spirits industry. She details the 'Bottle to Bag' initiative, which transforms post-consumer PET water bottles into consistent, branded luxury bags, solving the color-matching challenges of recycled materials. Fritzsche also discusses the launch of Spearhead Project Earth, a nonprofit focused on cleaning garbage from an island in the Delaware River to prevent ocean pollution.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-05-25-195-women-owned-sustainable-packaging-conversation-with-ceo-heather-fritzsche#t=0) Introduction and Career Background
- [9:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-05-25-195-women-owned-sustainable-packaging-conversation-with-ceo-heather-fritzsche#t=594) Spearhead Group's Niche in Spirits Packaging
- [16:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-05-25-195-women-owned-sustainable-packaging-conversation-with-ceo-heather-fritzsche#t=983) The Bottle to Bag Sustainable Innovation
- [23:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-05-25-195-women-owned-sustainable-packaging-conversation-with-ceo-heather-fritzsche#t=1384) Spearhead Project Earth Nonprofit
- [27:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-05-25-195-women-owned-sustainable-packaging-conversation-with-ceo-heather-fritzsche#t=1669) EPR Laws and Industry Commentary

## Topics

- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Spearhead Group (company)
- Spearhead Project Earth (other)
- Penn State University (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Making garbage useful with Tom Szaky of TerraCycle](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-08-17-making-garbage-useful-with-tom-szaky-of-terracycle) (How I Built This)
- [S'well: Sarah Kauss](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-04-06-swell-sarah-kauss) (How I Built This)
- [HIBT Lab! Too Good To Go: Lucie Basch](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-03-09-hibt-lab-too-good-to-go-lucie-basch) (How I Built This)
- [Spencer Wright traces the evolution of the plastic bottle; why defective airbags still aren’t fixed; and how the Tylenol murders redefined packaging.](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2025-12-16-spencer-wright-traces-the-evolution-of-the-plastic-bottle-why-defective-airbags) (Go/No-Go)
- [Spindrift: Bill Creelman](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-01-13-spindrift-bill-creelman) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-05-25-195-women-owned-sustainable-packaging-conversation-with-ceo-heather-fritzsche. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to People of Packaging.