Treatable blisters?

From blister packs to pre-filled syringes, bottles to inhalers, disposable plastic is intertwined with the way we use pharmaceuticals

The pharma industry produces around 100,000 tonnes of plastic packaging each year. Estimates suggest that this will grow at a rate of around 6 to 9% per year over the next five years.

Perhaps the most problematic pharmaceutical packaging is the blister pack. They are traditionally based on PVC that is difficult to recycle and is even a contaminant to other polymer recycling streams. This, coupled with their small size and composite nature, means that used blister packs typically end up in landfill or destined for incineration.

Blister packs and other pharmaceutical packaging materials, however, represent a particular challenge when looking for greener alternatives. Pharmaceutical producers must meet strict packaging regulations, which are primarily concerned with patient safety and protecting medicines from degradation.

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PVC has a proven track record of being a highly effective, cost-efficient barrier which is compatible with a vast array of pharmaceutical products. Consequently, a great deal of pharmaceuticals are still packaged using virgin single-use plastics.

That said, the contribution of pharma packaging to the 130 million tonnes of single-use waste produced globally each year is relatively small. Nevertheless, the problem is one which can be addressed with design and innovation, but the right stimuli for change will be needed.

This year, the sustainable healthcare company YewMaker has launched the Sustainable Medicines Packaging Awards to encourage suppliers to think about implementing better packaging solutions.

Shazia Mahamdallie, CSO at YewMaker, says: “To help reduce waste and increase sustainability, a pharma company might redesign materials, changing to alternative products that can be recycled – or change the size or shape of packaging so fewer natural resources are used.”

The awards shortlist was revealed in August 2022 with exciting entries from specialist packaging companies like Pharmapan, Plastic Ingenuity and Körber.

Supply and demand

Some suppliers are already ahead of the curve. In April 2021, packaging company Amcor released the world’s first fully recyclable blister pack, AmSky. Made wholly from polyethylene, AmSky fits with current recycling streams and has a carbon footprint about 70% smaller than PVC blister packs.

Elsewhere, Syntegeon and Huhtamaki have developed PushTab, a paper-based blister pack. PushTab contains up to 75% certified renewable paper and includes a thin plastic barrier to protect the blister contents.

Less drastic action can also help to overcome sociocultural barriers to recycling. Some stakeholders are now advocating replacement of physical patient information leaflets (PIL) with electronic copies (ePIL). In addition, the ePIL could include information to encourage proper recycling. The paper surface of PushTab, for example, allows for information to be printed on the blister pack itself, like promotional material and a QR code link to an ePIL, possibly allowing for secondary packaging to be eliminated at the point of sale.

Looking to neighbouring industries, the food and beverage industry also has regulations concerning the quality and purity of materials in contact with food. Moreover, the last few years have seen a transformation in the sustainability of food and beverage packaging, and parallels can be drawn with the current state of the pharma packaging sector.

This presents opportunities for cross-industry collaboration to accelerate the realisation of common sustainability goals. Indeed, barriers to acceptance are likely to be lower when adapting a known solution from a different field.

Joseph Newcombe is Patent Attorney at Mewburn Ellis. Go to mewburn.com