Welcome to the Sustainable Design Lab podcast by Veritiv. Hosted by Chris Bradley and Brodie Vander Dussen, this show is your go-to resource for cutting-edge insights into the world of sustainable packaging. Join us as we reimagine packaging innovation and turn every decision into a powerful act of sustainability. In this episode, Dillon Randolph, Chief Research Officer at Heart & Soil, dives into what happens when a brand refuses to compromise on what touches its products, specifically, Heart & Soil's obsessive commitment to reducing microplastic exposure across their entire product line. This podcast features guest speakers expressing their own company’s products, views, and experiences. Any statements regarding environmental attributes, such as biodegradability, compostability, degradation, or “zero waste” claims, are representations made solely by the guest about their own products or technologies. Veritiv Operating Company has not independently substantiated or verified such claims. Under the FTC’s Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (16 C.F.R. Part 260), environmental performance may depend on disposal conditions, infrastructure, and environment, and outcomes may vary. This content is provided for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as an endorsement or guarantee by Veritiv Operating Company.

In this episode, Dillon Randolph, Chief Research Officer at Heart & Soil, dives into what happens when a brand refuses to compromise on what touches its products, specifically, Heart & Soil's obsessive commitment to reducing microplastic exposure across their entire product line.

What You’ll Learn:

Why the packaging question matters as much as the ingredient question
The real trade-offs of going plastic-free
How to evaluate new packaging materials
Where consumer awareness is heading
What packaging innovations need to solve next
The connection between human health and sustainable packaging

Dillon Randolph is the Chief Research Officer at Heart & Soil, a nutritional supplements company built around the philosophy of “radical health and vitality.” A traditionally trained physician assistant, Dillon's perspective on health care shifted dramatically after meeting Dr. Paul Saladino in 2018 and experiencing firsthand how micronutrients and whole-food nutrition could replace the three medications he'd been prescribed. That transformation led him to leave conventional medicine and join Dr. Paul in building Heart & Soil from the ground up. Today, Dillon oversees product formulation, sourcing, testing, and packaging innovation, with an obsessive focus on quality, purity, and reducing consumer exposure to contaminants like microplastics, heavy metals, and pesticides.

Download the full report here! To see how these innovations fit into the broader 2026 sustainability landscape.

This podcast features guest speakers expressing their own company’s products, views, and experiences. Any statements regarding environmental attributes, such as biodegradability, compostability, degradation, or “zero waste” claims, are representations made solely by the guest about their own products or technologies.

Veritiv Operating Company has not independently substantiated or verified such claims. Under the FTC’s Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (16 C.F.R. Part 260), environmental performance may depend on disposal conditions, infrastructure, and environment, and outcomes may vary. This content is provided for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as an endorsement or guarantee by Veritiv Operating Company.

Episode Highlights:

[00:00] Product vs. Packaging
[01:39] Meet Dillon Randolph and the Heart & Soil Mission
[06:26] How Far Should Product Responsibility Extend?
[09:12] The Plastic Paradox and Microplastics as a Design Driver
[10:09] The Hardest Places to Eliminate Plastic
[11:58] What Packaging Has to Prove Before It Earns a Product
[13:40] The Glass Jar Trade-Off Myth
[16:14] When Consumers Will Demand Better Packaging
[19:24] What Packaging Innovators Need to Solve Next
[21:17] What Gives Dillon Hope
[23:21] Hosts Wrap-Up

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