Pharmapack is the European hub for the pharmaceutical packaging and drug delivery device industry. Taking place annually in Paris, the event brings together over 5000 attendees and more than 300 exhibitors for two days of product innovations, networking, and education.
During the event, our Labels and Packaging Materials and Avery Dennison Smartrac teams showcased our connected packaging and sustainable solutions for the pharma industry. We talked with some of the world’s leading packaging professionals - our exact target audience. These included packaging and procurement professionals from big pharma, key industry suppliers, and our direct customers.
Here are our key takeaways from the event:
Sustainability is here to stay. Packaging suppliers are coming up with solutions that are easy and safe to implement by pharmaceutical brand owners and often do not mean a significant increase in cost. This is challenging the industry’s long-lasting resistance to adopting more sustainable packaging solutions. The typical arguments that thinner or mono packaging doesn’t offer the same barrier properties, or that recycled content cannot be used in primary packaging, are not valid anymore. Chemically recycled materials offer the same properties as virgin materials, while 100% PP blisters offer barrier properties comparable to aluminum blisters. These materials are also becoming more price competitive, thanks to the wide adoption of recycled materials in food and personal care packaging.
Increased sustainability awareness. There has also been a shift in the mindset of packaging engineers in pharmaceutical companies. There is much more awareness around what’s possible in terms of creating more sustainable packaging, whether this means reducing the size/thickness, adapting recycled materials, or moving to mono packaging. I now regularly get asked questions like “What would be a more sustainable alternative to this (label) material?” And not only in regards to new packaging developments, but also existing ones.
Avery Dennison’s portfolio matches industry developments. The two themes presented in our booth - connected packaging and sustainability - were also two of the three pillars of the conference program. Workshops such as “Industry trends impacting pharmaceutical packaging” by L.E.K. Consulting confirmed that we are developing solutions pharma manufacturers need today and will need in the coming years.
