Sustainability

Standardizing Sustainability

Industry progresses on setting sustainability standards.

By Pat Nolan, President, DDL

Encouraging Plastics Recycling in Hospitals and Beyond

The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) develops design guidelines for engineers that could drive recycling throughout the supply chain.

Design for Recycling” guidelines by the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) are currently being reviewed by founding members DuPont, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Cardinal Health, Engineered Plastics, Hospira, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly Clark, and Waste Management. Aiming to identify and overcome the disablers to recycling in the healthcare supply chain, the coalition decided that guidelines could encourage developers to build recyclability into both package and product design.

To Do More with Less, Develop a Portfolio Management Process

Cost-cutting is a frequent task of today's packaging engineer. Pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers are looking to reduce costs wherever they can, so engineers must balance new packaging development with savings-minded product life cycle management.

But how can packaging engineers possibly juggle this increasing workload? Companies must develop a portfolio management process for prioritizing all projects, advises Stephen Birtsas, a manager with global innovation management consultancy Kalypso.

Containing the Costs of Reuse

A company offering reusable shippers works to reduce component replacement costs.

Interest in reusable shipping solutions continues to grow in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, but companies do grapple with cost of ownership, reports Kevin Lawler, vice president, sales, Minnesota Thermal Science (MTS; Plymouth, MN). The company, which has been serving these markets with its Credo Cube thermal packaging systems, has been working to reduce maintenance costs and is set to release its latest solution at IQPC’s 9th Cold Chain & Temperature Management Global Forum this September.

AMERIPEN Announces 2011-2012 Priorities

The board of directors of AMERIPEN, the American Institute for Packaging and the Environment, has announced its organizational priorities for 2011-2012. Modeled after EUROPEN and INCPEN, AMERIPEN was started by several U.S. corporations earlier this year to encourage science-based decision-making in sustainable packaging initiatives. The institute focuses on measures that are environmentally and economically sound as well as socially responsible, it reported in a press release.

The priorities include the following:

Multivac Launches Energy and Resource Efficient Thermoformer at Interpack

Having debuted its e-concept thermoformer requiring no compressed air or cooling water at several trade shows in the past year, Multivac is launching a commercially available, ultracompact model this week at Interpack 2011 in Hall 5, Stand E23/ E37.

DuPont Releases Results of Packaging Survey

DuPont has conducted a global survey of consumer packaged goods companies and packaging converters. According to more than 500 packaging professionals surveyed, more than 40% reported that sustainability is the toughest challenge, while 33% cited cost as a major factor.

PACKEX Toronto

Packaging and processing exposition will also feature a day-long conference on Walmart’s sustainability program.

PACKEX will be held June 21−23 at Canada’s Toronto Congress Centre. Bringing hundreds of packaging industry exhibitors together, PACKEX will also be joined by the co-located events Automation Technology Expo Canada, Design & Manufacturing Canda, Green Manufacutirng Expo Canada, Plast-Ex, and Powder & Bulk Solids Canada.

Hospital Recycling Gets a Checkup

According to research by the American Plastics Council, hospitals generate 12 million pounds of waste each day. About 15−20% of this waste is plastic, and surprisingly, most of that waste is free of contamination, reports Roseann Salasin, global marketing director, DuPont Medical and Pharmaceutical Protection. “The potential for recycling, therefore, is significant,” she says. “Not only do hospitals have an opportunity to lower their environmental impact and their costs, but they also have an opportunity to enable healthy communities.”

Sorbent Use and Sustainability in Packaging

Managing the long-term potential of our ecosystem requires concerted and continuing efforts by individuals and organizations alike. Consequently, some companies involved in the manufacture of packaging materials have implemented customer-directed sustainability programs to ensure the long-term maintenance of our environment.

By Adrian T. Possumato, Global Director, Healthcare Packaging, Multisorb Technologies

In the active packaging or sorbent industry, some manufacturers of desiccants, oxygen absorbers, and volatile organic compound (VOC) adsorbents are also offering products and services to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries to assist in reducing their customer’s corporate carbon footprint.

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