At Booth W-15047, PACK EXPO International, October 23-26, Schreiner MediPharm will showcase a pair of label solutions designed via three key sustainability considerations: recycled/renewable materials, sorted recycling/disassembling, and CO2 emissions reduction.
The more sustainable version of the Pharma-Tac label for infusion bottles has an integrated hanger and removable documentation parts, while a more eco-friendly version of Schreiner MediPharm’s autoinjector label features anti-slip functionality. For both new product solutions, the company utilized film materials that are either recycled or produced from renewable raw materials.
To demonstrate that the more sustainable materials perform as well and reliably as conventional substrates, the in-house R&D team conducted a series of extensive tests. 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 the tests were passed flawlessly.
In addition, 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.
“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,” says Gene Dul, president of Schreiner MediPharm US. “The sustainability-minded labels we’ll be 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.”
