Pharmaceutical And Medical Device Primary Packaging And Circular Economy

The volume of packaging waste globally is over 500 million tonnes, of which around 80 million tonnes is generated in the European Union and a similar volume in the USA. Despite significant advances in recycling, consumer education, and packaging design, the growth in packaging consumption continues to outstrip recycling capacity and technological advances.

Additionally, although the total volume of packaging waste is stabilizing in many OECD countries, this is driven by reduced paper, cardboard, and glass packaging. Significantly, plastic packaging waste continues to increase, representing almost 150 mio tonnes annually. In the USA, only 14% of this is recycled; in the EU, the data is better at 38%. Globally, 22 mio tonnes of plastics leak into the environment yearly, ending up in our rivers, lakes, seas, and forests.

As the producer of 4.6% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the Healthcare industry is pressured to reduce its environmental impact. While consumer products have moved heavily away from single-use plastics, the healthcare industries have clung on, with the UK’s National Health Service being the largest single-use plastics user in Europe. Although Pharmaceutical and Medical Device packaging waste represents only around 1% of overall packaging waste, the industry mindset is that it cannot…