As pharmaceutical companies work towards lowering their environmental footprint, many are exploring sustainable packaging for medicines. From recycling plastic, using plant-based materials or decreasing foil consumption – such innovations can help brands decrease waste production significantly and help cut waste production by significantly decreasing waste production.
At present, the pharmaceutical industry is one of the biggest polluters and emitters of carbon emissions; however, manufacturers have taken steps to lower emissions through new equipment and processes.
Biodegradable
As demand for eco-friendly packaging increases, pharmaceutical companies have responded by developing eco-friendly solutions. Some biodegradable and others made from recycled material solutions have been introduced by pharmaceutical manufacturers – both are expected to fuel market growth for green pharmaceutical packaging. Furthermore, www.pharmapac.co.nz sustainable packaging is actively seeking ways to lower energy usage and carbon emissions.
Some biodegradable pharmaceutical packaging options are from plant-based materials like sugarcane or cassava. Others may contain post-consumer waste or polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable plastic that breaks down into elements beneficial to the soil when it breaks down. Some manufacturers even create eco-friendly packages made out of paper and foil materials.
These innovations are certainly steps in the right direction, but they do not address all the pharmaceutical industry’s environmental concerns. Large pharmaceutical brands should focus on reducing their overall carbon footprint and energy usage to meet strict sustainability regulations while minimising manufacturing costs.
Romaco Siebler and foil specialist Huhtamaki recently collaborated to offer an eco-friendly tablet blister packaging solution for pharmaceutical products. Utilising mono-laminates, this packaging system is tamper-evident and resealable; it also features a smart label with an integrated printed, electronic circuit, which communicates directly with tablets inside. In addition, its monitor system keeps tabs on temperature and humidity conditions within its vicinity – instantly notifying patients if something goes amiss with their medicine.
Recyclable
All drugs and medical devices require packaging to remain undamaged from production, consumption, and disposal. But the pharmaceutical industry must also strive to minimise its environmental impact through eco-friendly solutions or by working with packaging companies to create eco-friendly designs; for instance, by reducing ink colours. In an ideal world, pharmaceutical manufacturers should use recycled or biodegradable packaging materials.
Laws, regulations, and consumer demand have all contributed to an increasing interest in green pharmaceutical packaging, but consumer desire remains the driving force. Consumers want transparency about what they’re purchasing, expecting businesses to work toward sustainability goals while reporting progress accordingly – all these factors combined drive an industry shift towards sustainable packaging practices.
Some companies are making significant strides toward realising this goal, notably through primary packaging. By adopting innovative materials and designs that reduce packaging waste and carbon emissions, manufacturers can reduce packaging waste as well as production costs – for instance, using paper and cellulose instead of plastics in direct contact with medicines can be especially effective – while this approach also cuts manufacturing costs as it requires no expensive heat treatments during manufacturing processes.
Other sustainable options for manufacturers to reduce emissions include lightweight and downgauging packaging solutions that use less material without compromising functionality and performance. The pharmaceutical industry should work toward decreasing energy usage to lower emissions from manufacturing processes.
Reusable
Pharmaceutical packaging can have a major environmental impact. New materials in www.pharmapac.co.nz sustainable packaging can help reduce waste production, while the pharmaceutical industry can lower energy usage by upgrading equipment and streamlining supply chains. Finding a balance between regulatory packaging efficacy and sustainability goals is often challenging.
Reusable packaging in www.pharmapac.co.nz sustainable packaging can help pharmaceutical companies reduce waste while saving money on shipping and handling costs. Constructed of durable plastic materials designed to withstand multiple journeys and available with various temperature modes, reusable containers are suitable for products such as creams, gels and tablets.
Manufacturers are pursuing other eco-friendly packaging options, including primary materials with reduced environmental impacts and biodegradability, which may come from renewable or recycled waste sources. Furthermore, innovative packaging designs may reduce paper use via lightweight and downgauging.
Other initiatives include monomaterial packaging, which can reduce the need for labels and other packaging materials, such as security seals made with compostable acetate film that won’t pollute paper recycling streams, while using electronic labelling can eliminate physical pamphlets.
Paper-based
Manufacturing manufacturers are becoming more committed to sustainability in pharmaceutical packaging, yet this has proven difficult due to regulatory requirements and patient safety considerations. Primary pharmaceutical packagings such as plastic bottles, glass bottles, prefilled syringes and pens, and medication tubes are manufactured from non-recyclable materials due to direct contact with drugs that must be protected against contamination while providing dosage information and child resistance features as well as counterfeit protection features.