Life Science Functional Labels Feature Sustainable Material Updates

Liebl goes on to add that as long as there are suitable materials available, Schreiner will work with customers to optimize their labeling solutions for easy recycling and disassembling. This could be done on a project basis to match individual customer requirements. 

“The disassembling consideration is independent from the chosen material type,” he says. “It is more a question of the design, to make disassembly feasible at all. After removing the label, for instance, the autoinjector half shells can be reused for new products. If you can feed the removed label to a controlled recycling process, overall sustainability increases further.”

Of course, sustainability is more than just using recycled and/or renewable materials. Liebl notes, “Schreiner MediPharm fosters sustainable actions and considers ecological factors in the development and production of our products. Accordingly, we expect sustainable actions and ethical behavior from our business partners as well.”

Performance and runnability 

Schreiner’s in-house R&D team conducted extensive tests to show that the updated materials perform as well/reliably as their conventional counterparts. “For example, the Pharma-Tac label was subjected to load and gravitational trials, and both the hanger label and Autoinjector-Label underwent testing for adhesion, ink adhesion, print durability and laser marking viability. All tests were passed flawlessly,” says Liebl.

He says a key feature of their renewable and recycled constructions is that they should run on any existing equipment that can process the conventional label version. Liebl recommends confirming suitability during a validation run and notes that Schreiner is happy to join the trial with on-site technical personnel if desired.

The company reports that a Product Carbon Footprint (PFC) was calculated for each of the new sustainable label concepts. This calculation considers the CO₂ emissions of a product from raw materials through manufacturing to delivery–referred to as “cradle-to-gate” analysis – as well as end-of-life scenarios, or so-called “cradle-to-grave” impact. Using the materials that have been qualified, Schreiner MediPharm is able to design and develop customized labeling systems that can help companies adapt to more sustainable supply chains.

“The healthcare industry faces steeper challenges to sustainability than the vast majority of other sectors, since the safety of patients and efficacy of drugs must take priority on a more mission-critical scale,” said Gene Dul, president of Schreiner MediPharm US. “The sustainability-minded labels [we’re] showing at Pack Expo exemplify our commitment to reducing the environmental impact without sacrificing patient-centricity in the slightest. It’s an important step toward a more circular healthcare economy.”