Blister Pack Collective: Bayer and Haleon help advance scalable plastic reduction in pharma

13 Oct 2023 --- Global health companies Bayer and Haleon have taken a stride toward reducing plastic waste in pharmaceutical and consumer health packaging by joining the Blister Pack Collective. The initiative, led by PA Consulting and PulPac, aims to minimize the use of non-recyclable plastics in over-the-counter and prescription drug packaging, advancing the development of more environmentally sustainable Dry Molded Fiber blister packs. 

The technology is said to replace plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and potentially remove over 100,000 metric tons of plastic used annually in medicine packaging. 

“The primary goal of the collective is to incorporate the use of sustainable and renewable pulp materials to safely reduce and replace difficult-to-recycle and single-use plastics in tablet blister packs,” Keith Thornley, commercial lead for DMF Collectives at PA Consulting, tells Packaging Insights. 

“PA Consulting, PulPac and all of our collective members will be working together to develop the packs and the industrial-scale manufacturing process necessary to accelerate the transition to more sustainable blister packaging.”

Haleon was named as one of the founding members of the Blister Pack Collective. The collective was formed to foster cross-industry collaboration between pharma, consumer health and fast-moving consumer goods businesses to accelerate the transition to more responsible tablet blister packs.

The Consumer Health division of Bayer has committed to transforming 100% of its packaging to be recyclable or renewable by 2030, with a €100 million (∼US$105 million) investment. Joining the Blister Pack Collective aligns with Bayer’s goal to make a genuine impact on sustainability and reduce the environmental footprint of its products.

Adopting Dry Molded Fiber technology can reduce plastic usage, resulting in more eco-friendly pharma packaging.Fiber forward
The collective expects the foundational blister packs and manufacturing process to be developed through the middle of 2024, with subsequent efforts focusing on scaling up and enhancing the production process to ensure widespread market access. But Thornley says, “more information on the specific projects Bayer and other collective members are pursuing will be revealed in due time.”

The Blister Pack Collective represents one facet of PA and PulPac’s mission to convert renewable plant fibers into sustainable packaging and products using Dry Molded Fiber technology. The technology’s versatility allows it to be applied in various product industries, with initiatives such as the Bottle Collective already in progress to create Dry Molded Fiber bottles.

As the Blister Pack Collective expands its reach with the addition of global leaders like Haleon and Bayer, the adoption of Dry Molded Fiber technology can potentially reduce plastic usage, ushering in more eco-friendly pharmaceutical packaging.

“The collective approach allows for multiple parties across industries to contribute to solving a massive global challenge,” Thornley emphasizes.

“PA Consulting and PulPac, plus their global partners, are already bringing Dry Molded Fiber technology to life in packaging solutions across product industries. The technology is highly versatile and a viable alternative for most rigid, single-use packaging. The Bottle Collective is another active initiative where, like blister packs, PA Consulting, PulPac and many brand partners are working together to demonstrate the first Dry Molded Fiber bottles.”

Single-use plastic alternativeConventional blister packs often contain hard-to-recycle materials such as PVC.
Dry Molded Fiber technology, developed by PulPac, provides an alternative to single-use plastic packaging. This process is dry quick and offers design and manufacturing advantages, enabling high-speed, low-cost mass production. 

“The collective approach allows for multiple parties across industries to contribute to solving a massive global challenge. In addition, PulPac brings the foundational Dry Molded Fiber technology while PA Consulting has an 80-year legacy as an innovation consultancy bringing ingenuity to life,” Thornley says. 

“This collective partnership will mean accelerated learning and growth in new and potent ways. And eventually, a greater collective impact in the market with a faster transition to more sustainable blister packaging.”

Initial estimates shared by the Blister Pack Collective suggest that Dry Molded Fiber packs will substantially reduce plastic use, with some applications achieving 100% paper-based packaging.

“Dry Molded Fiber converts renewable, recyclable plant fibers into packaging. As the name implies, the primary benefit of Dry Molded Fiber versus wet molding is that it is a dry process. So essentially, there is zero water use in production and no need for additional energy to drive water off,” details Thornley.

“This leads to two key benefits — better sustainability profile as water use drops, as does associated energy, and these drive down the per unit production time and costs, making scale possible.” 

By Radhika Sikaria

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