Facing the challenge of more sustainable pharmaceutical laminate solutions

Q: Can you tell us about the challenges pharmaceutical companies that require sachet, stickpack and strippack formats are facing?

A: The primary challenge is the protection of the drug against contamination and ensuring prolonged shelf life. Traditionally, sachets and stick packs are used for orally administered products that are presented in liquid, powder, or gel form. In all cases, protecting the drug from excess (or loss of) humidity is critical to preserve the drug’s efficacy for a prolonged period and to guarantee shelf-life.

Today, the standard solution to that challenge is the use of a multi-material laminate containing a combination of aluminium, plastic and in many cases paper on the outside. The multi-material nature of these structures means they are not recyclable. Today’s demands for more sustainable solutions requires us to rethink the way we pack oral consumer health products and prescription drugs.

Q: What has been the journey to a more sustainable portfolio of High Shield Pharma Laminates?

A: In general, our journey starts by defining what is a sustainable solution for us and our customers. What are the needs of the product and how do we align that with our commitment to making our products more sustainable. Our definition of “more sustainable” is built around three pillars:

1. Limiting resources utilization
2. Reducing carbon footprint (even if not always recycled)
3. Avoiding environmental pollution by making sure our packaging is designed to be accepted in established recycled streams.

With that in mind, we have lined up our material science expertise, our extensive knowledge on the pharma and consumer health space and consumer insights to design a portfolio that meets the technical challenges while enabling brands to provide more sustainable options that tap into consumers’and patients’needs.

Q: Consumers want to play a more active role in sustainability, how do breakthroughs in pharmaceutical laminates support this?

A: In a nutshell our full portfolio of more sustainable High Shield Pharma Laminates allows our customers, healthcare systems and ultimately the consumer to make the right choices. Whether it’s being able to recycle the end product or reduce the carbon footprint coming from the material, from now on, they will have the option to make more sustainable decisions no matter their needs.

Q: Consumer trends, particularly in the over-the-counter (OTC) space, can have an impact on packaging innovations. What consumer trends are driving innovation today?

A: We have seen two main trends driving packaging innovation in the over the-counter space, and an extra trend more relevant to sachet and stick packs than other formats:

Firstly, the sustainability agenda. As in other segments sustainability or sustainable packaging is becoming a license to operate. This is driven by three main factors: regulatory pressure, industry commitments to provide sustainable solutions, and increased consumer awareness about their impact on the environment and their aspiration to lower their environmental footprint.

The second consumer trend is based around the needs of an aging population. The increasing share of adults over 60+ years old across developed regions is driving a need for easier to open, easier to access over-the-counter packaging while at the same time being still child resistant. This is leading to innovations in opening and accessibility functionality of the packaging.

And finally, on the go convenience. Our way of living has become much more dynamic than in the past. OTC packaging needs to be small and convenient and withstand spending a week in a bag without damage or contamination. The pack also needs to be able to house easy to use products such as drugs that do not need to be consumed with water.

We have kept all these factors in mind when designing our full suite of pharmaceutical laminates.

Q: Amcor’s more sustainable High Shield Pharma Laminates portfolio includes both paper and plastic options, why is it important to have such a varied choice?

A: By providing a full array of options, both in plastic and paper, we enable our customers to choose the approach that best fits their needs.

For many pharmaceutical customers packaging decisions are made on a complex set of criteria. Amcor’s expertise in the pharmaceutical space means that as a partner we can guide and advise on the best option and material characteristics.

When looking at the European recycling landscape, we also see that many countries have different requirements and plastic or fiber content thresholds in order to make a material recyclable, so by offering a variety of materials, our portfolio is able to offer a more sustainable solution wherever customers are operating in Europe.

In addition, consumers’ expectations and preconceptions are driving behaviours which can also influence the choice of materials.

Q: Have you seen a consumer preference for certain materials?

A: Yes, certainly in over-the-counter products where consumers have more choice. Our internal consumer research suggests that paper packaging is perceived as a more sustainable material and in a 2020 study by the PEW Charitable Trust it was revealed that 51% of those questioned claimed they think it’s an easier form of packaging to recycle. Across Europe we see a similar picture. Paper-based solutions can appeal to eco-conscious shoppers, even when paper may not always be the most sustainable choice in practice. It is for this reason, as well as the complexities across the European recycling landscape, that we have developed a broad choice of materials.

Q: Do you think Amcor’s pharmaceutical laminates journey is complete or will we see more innovations in this space?

A: Our more sustainable High Shield Pharmaceutical Laminates portfolio covers the majority of our segment needs. However, the journey is not finished, Amcor’s dedication to innovation, and commitment to our 2025 Sustainability Pledge means we will continue to work towards optimized solutions. Over the coming months we will work on specifications designed to deliver even higher barriers, and we will continue to optimize the fiber content of our paper solutions, improving even further the sustainability of the portfolio.

Q: Changing packaging, especially in the pharmaceutical space can be costly and complex, how is Amcor supporting transitions to more sustainable solutions?

A: Changing existing and commercial solutions in the pharmaceutical space is not easy. It involves a significant amount of time and effort, especially when taking a traditional approach to packaging selection. At the same time when we talk about the planet every effort counts and we work alongside our customers, who are dedicated to making the right choices, to shape the product offering on the market.

Amcor has a full suite of services and expertise available for customers to accelerate and de-risk the transition to sustainable solutions. Both, through the initial packaging concept and design optimization phase as well as the product industrialization. For example, our simulation services allow us to test and choose across potential solutions or to optimize customer tool parameters and designs avoiding a large number of time-consuming and costly physical trials.

Q: What trends do you see accelerating the adoption of sustainable solutions within the healthcare space?

A: There are three major trends working together to accelerate a shift to more sustainable packaging in the pharmaceutical space:

• Regulations and industry commitment – regulatory proposals such as the EU strategy for plastics in the circular economy and industry pledges to transform the full portfolio with more sustainable alternatives.

• Healthcare systems adoption of sustainable tenders – especially relevant for prescription pharmaceuticals but essentially impacting any product directly provided or covered by the national healthcare systems. Under this new approach to tendering, already common in the Nordics and increasingly adopted across Europe, products with a more sustainable profile (e.g. recyclable packaging) are preferred and therefore granted higher scoring

• Increased awareness of the consumer individual footprint – consumer willingness to do the right thing for the planet is driving a major shift in the industry, especially in the OTC and consumer health space where shelf competition is much more prominent.

To find out more about More Sustainable High Shield Pharma Laminates or the pharmaceutical solutions available to you please contact us at: globalpharma@amcor.com