Bayer Consumer Health partners with Yet2 to explore external technologies on road to renewables

08 Sep 2022 --- Bayer Consumer Health is partnering with an open innovation services company Yet2 to work with external technologies to solve its latest environmentally sustainable packaging innovation challenge. In turn, this will help accelerate Bayer’s goal of providing 100% recyclable or renewable packaging by 2030. 

Bayer is now seeking biodegradable, compostable, dissolvable or edible packaging that ensures its products maintain their efficacy and quality standards. 

“We look forward to bringing in the expertise from specialists in the area of [environmentally] sustainable packaging,” says Keiko Tago, head of packaging sustainability, Bayer. 

“Designing and developing more sustainable packaging, as early as possible in the product design and development stages, is vital to reduce the impact on the environment and achieve Bayer’s ambitious sustainability goals.”

Searching for the right material
Last year, the pharmaceutical giant invested €100 million (US$100 million) to accelerate its environmental sustainability measures and cross-industry collective action partnerships.

PackagingInsights spoke to Chris Padain, vice president and head of design and packaging for Bayer’s consumer health division and Daniella Foster, global vice president and head of public affairs, science and sustainability for Bayer’s consumer health division, about the investment. 

The Consumer Health Division is prioritizing the “reduce, recycle, reuse and replace” solution across its products and packaging.To help Bayer achieve their goals of being climate neutral by 2030 and net zero by 2050, the Consumer Health Division is prioritizing the “reduce, recycle, reuse and replace” solution across its products and packaging.

Bayer’s Consumer Health Division owns global brands, including Aspirin, Bepanthen, Claritin and Elevit. 

Packaging formats of interest include sachets or rigid or flexible tubes. Potential packaging solution areas include those derived from sources such as seaweed or plant extracts such as alginate, starch, bagasse, cellulose, or mycelium, chitosan and agricultural waste. 

All new product development projects are evaluated for sustainability performance, and Bayer has already started converting paper packaging to include post consumer recyclate content and sourcing from certified and well-managed forests. 

Identifying suitable technologies 
To further progress toward their sustainability targets, Bayer is once again leveraging open innovation as a strategic asset, powered by their partnership with Yet2.

The company aims to identify promising external technologies and accelerate the pace of environmentally sustainable packaging innovation at Bayer without compromising their commitment to improving the health of their consumers. 

Bayer invites innovators and technologists to share sustainable packaging materials, including biodegradable or compostable, flexible and rigid packaging solutions, for use in packaging Bayer’s consumer healthcare products. 

The life science company says this challenge will accelerate its efforts to reach a target of 100% of Consumer Health packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2030. 

Pharmaceutical packaging developments
In another development, Antares Vision and Edgyn have partnered to deliver a comprehensive authentication solution to help combat counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry.

The company will integrate Edgyn’s Adfirmia solution into its production line, cloud and mobile applications, providing customers with “exemplary” authentication capabilities in addition to its existing traceability software.

Meanwhile, Flexible Packaging Europe members support the EU Commission and its Member States’ proposal to “Save Gas for a Safe Winter” by recognizing the agri-food supply chain as “societally vital.” 

The pharmaceutical and medical industries, as well as other “societally vital” value chains, rely on flexible packaging to ensure that patients can access those items.

Edited

By Natalie Schwertheim