Conventional blister packs combine thermoforming film with a cover film made of aluminium or PVC - and are therefore not recyclable. Packaging manufacturer Etimex offers its customers an environmentally friendly alternative in the form of polypropylene monofilms, which are currently in high demand.
The switch to sustainable packaging solutions is in full swing in all industries, and this trend is also emerging in the pharmaceutical and food supplement sectors. And so the less environmentally friendly Blister standard increasingly replaced by a fully recyclable PP mono solution. As conventional blister packs cannot be recycled due to the use of plastic thermoforming film in combination with a cover film made of aluminium or PVC, they are not a standard for the future, according to the people at Etimex convinced for years.
„With the PP monofilm, we have an established product in our portfolio that is now being used more and more frequently for pharmaceutical applications, because the pharmaceutical industry has naturally also started to rethink sustainability. The industry clearly wants away from PVC/PVDC and aluminium and towards recyclable, recyclable solutions. We are therefore receiving enquiries from the pharmaceutical industry worldwide for our monomaterial.“
Martin Rank, Head of Sales & Marketing at Etimex
The packaging materials manufacturer from Dietenheim has Purelay Pharm Blister has developed a solution in which both components of the blister are made from fully recyclable PP monofilm. The Purelay Lid component is a Push-through plastic film made from filled polypropylene - a sustainable alternative to the well-known aluminium push-through foils.
However, the packaging is not only interesting for pharmaceutical companies because of its recyclability. As a packaging material, polypropylene offers a Excellent barrier against moisture, as well as high transparency and good wall thickness distribution of the moulded tablet blister. The quality of the high water vapour barrier can be easily checked during the packaging process - all that is needed is a measurement of the wall thickness distribution.
Switching to a more sustainable solution such as Purelay works smoothly for manufacturing companies, says Martin Rank. „It's all about having the right expertise, Effective synergies and partnership-based cooperation between the manufacturers involved. We not only have years of experience, but also a strong network in the industry.“
The environmental services provider Interseroh evaluates the solution in the „Made for Recycling“ certificate with 19 out of 20 points as very good recyclability. Julian Thielen from Interseroh: „In our day-to-day work, we try to uncover even the smallest potential for optimising packaging. Sometimes, however, it is simple material decisions that massively improve the recyclability of packaging. For example, replacing PVC and aluminium with PP mono-packaging is a massive improvement. Improved recyclability with the same technical packaging properties.“ For the recyclable solution there were 2021 the German Packaging Award for sustainability. Etimex is planning new developments for other markets this year. However, Martin Rank does not yet want to reveal any more details.
