As the demand for sustainability grows, pharmacy chains are increasingly holding packaging suppliers accountable for their environmental efforts. Single-use packaging across all industries is a significant environmental issue, with the majority of waste in landfills and oceans coming from the packaging industry.
Currently, 50% of all plastic produced is for single-use purposes and is thrown away immediately, with at least 14 million tons of plastic ending up in our oceans each year.
With statistics like these, it’s no surprise our largest pharmacy customer in Canada has implemented deadlines for packaging suppliers to align with packaging and material guidelines – specifically, the Golden Design Rules developed by the Consumer Goods Forum Plastic Waste Coalition of Action.
Must-Haves for Medication Packaging Through the Sustainability Journey
We know packaging has a significant environmental impact – and at the same time, it also has a purpose to preserve, protect, and provide information. When it comes to medication packaging in particular, there are several factors to consider beyond environmental impact:
• We must ensure packaging provides a stable environment for medications, protects against moisture permeation and is free of chemicals
of concern.
• While sustainability efforts focus on reusing materials where possible, reusing medication packaging without proper sterilization is not
safe due to contamination concerns.
• At the same time, packaging must also provide crucial medication information for patients, so they can confirm what medications they are
taking and when. This is not something that can be removed from packaging to reduce materials and footprints.
