Sustainable packaging – future-proof solutions for the pharmaceutical industry
The path towards sustainable packaging
In the pharmaceutical industry, packaging is an important consideration on the path towards increased sustainability.
The social and political pressure to use recyclable materials is increasing: The EU packaging directive stipulates that primary packaging of medicines and medical devices must be recyclable by the end of 2034. Companies wishing to implement sustainable packaging of medicines also face the double challenge of ensuring the safety and effectiveness of the pharmaceutical products.
In principle, there are several options for forging a more sustainable path in pharmaceutical packaging, such as:
„Sustainability changes the pharmaceutical packaging and poses new challenges for our customers. Specifically, it concerns recyclable packaging. These are sustainability and carbon neutrality requirements, which are derived directly from the companies' sustainability strategies.‟
Matthias Kaiser
Vice President Global Sales & Marketing
Sustainable packaging concepts with the help of Life Cycle Assessments
Demand for packaging concepts made from renewable raw materials is increasing rapidly – and so too is the need for accountability from manufacturers of pharmaceutical products regarding their impact on the environment and climate. The established Life Cycle Assessment method is ideal for this: It enables a resilient and well-founded analysis of the environmental impact and energy balance of new packaging solutions over their entire life cycle, right from the start of the design process. As a result, you get a standardized evaluation of which packaging concept is best suited to a specific product and its strategic orientation.
Whether or not the new packaging concept actually does what it promises will be determined in an extensive test run under realistic conditions. However, a system cannot be removed from running production without adverse economic effects and a loss of validation. To avoid this, we offer you the possibility of performing tests on equivalent machines in the Uhlmann test center. All relevant machine types from the last 30 years are at your disposal there. You can either use your own format sets or format sets produced by Uhlmann. In addition to testing processability, leak tests are also performed and the final product is prepared for stability tests.
Sustainable packaging concepts for cardboard trays
The Parenteral Tray Center PTC 200 packages ampoules, vials, syringes, and other devices in cardboard trays. These parenteral packagings are available in various formats and in accordance with international climate protection guidelines – such as the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). –
Sustainable concepts for blister packaging
Sustainability concepts for blister packaging usually rely on „mono solutions", i.e. packaging made from one material. That's because these mono material packagings are eco-friendly, versatile, and can be configured quickly.
