In response to escalating environmental concerns and the surging demand for plastics in healthcare, a pressing need has emerged for the advancement of recyclable plastics packaging. This has prompted a proactive shift among medical OEMs and thermoforming companies towards sustainable packaging solutions, waste reduction, and a heightened emphasis on recyclable materials.
According to the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council, a staggering 32 billion pounds of healthcare plastics were manufactured globally in 2020, with projections indicating a rise to 48 billion pounds by 2025. Furthermore, a recent 2022 study at a hospital in Germany revealed that each patient generates 16kg of plastic packaging waste daily. Surprisingly, 80-85% of this waste is said to be clean and non-hazardous, making it theoretically recyclable. While healthcare facilities currently lack large-scale recycling systems, the industry, in collaboration with organizations like the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council, is actively exploring avenues to establish effective plastic recycling initiatives.
With the strict requirements in place for safety, regulatory, and application standards, it is essential for companies to strategize and plan ahead to meet future recyclability goals. What steps can medical OEMs and thermoforming companies take today to enhance the recyclability of their rigid plastic packaging solutions in the medical, pharmaceutical, and healthcare sectors?
Designing for Recyclability in Medical Packaging
Plastics recycling plays a vital role in both reducing waste and advancing towards a circular economy for plastics. For a product or package to be considered recyclable, it must be capable of being collected, separated, and recovered from the waste stream through an established recycling program, enabling its reuse in the creation of new products. While the healthcare industry currently lacks the necessary infrastructure for collecting plastic packaging waste, the growing demand for recyclable packaging across various sectors, coupled with the increasing government and regulatory oversight, suggests that recyclable plastic healthcare packaging will soon transition from a luxury to a necessity. In anticipation of future developments in infrastructure, Medical OEMs and thermoforming companies can proactively design and redesign their packaging solutions for recyclability.
While all thermoplastic materials may technically be “recyclable,” the true potential for effective recycling and reuse in new applications extends beyond just the type of plastic utilized. The actual recyclability of a material, on a practical and large-scale level, hinges on various factors such as consumer access to recycling systems, the market demand for recycled materials, the proper sorting capabilities at Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) and Plastic Recovery Facilities (PRFs), and the capacity for the material to be processed into usable post-consumer recycled (PCR) feedstock.
With the increasing concerns about plastic waste, organizations are actively developing guidelines and standards for design for recyclability to align stakeholders throughout the entire plastics value chain. These four organizations have established themselves as the go-to authorities for designing recyclable packaging, aiding companies in assessing the recyclability of their packaging solutions both now and in the future:
- APR Design Guide: The APR Design Guide is widely regarded as the go-to resource for designing recyclable plastics packaging in North America. It assists packaging designers in evaluating every aspect of their packaging, from the base resin and color to size, dimensions, closures, barrier layers, coatings, additives, labels, adhesives, and any other components. By measuring these elements against industry-accepted standards, the guide ensures that the packaging is truly compatible with recycling systems.
APR categorizes packaging into four distinct groups: APR Design Preferred, Detrimental to Recycling, Renders the Package Non-Recyclable, and Requires Testing. According to the APR Design Guide, PET, HDPE, PE, and PP materials are deemed recyclable based on specific design elements, whereas PVC, EPS, PS, and PLA are classified as non-recyclable per APR standards.
US Plastics Pact Problematic & Unnecessary Materials List: The mission of the US Plastics Pact is to foster collaboration among public and private entities throughout the plastics value chain, sparking innovative approaches to designing, utilizing, and repurposing plastic materials. This collective effort aims to pave the way towards establishing a circular economy for plastics in the United States.
The Pact collaborates with activator members to implement strategies aimed at phasing out a list of 11 problematic and unnecessary resins, components, and formats, with the goal of expediting this transition through collaboration. “Problematic or Unnecessary” is defined as “Plastic packaging items, components, or materials where consumption could be avoided through elimination, reuse or replacement and items that, post-consumption, commonly do not enter the recycling and/or composting systems, or where they do, are detrimental to the recycling or composting system due to their format, composition, or size.”
The list goes on to name specific products and packaging materials to avoid or eliminate help guide organizations during the design or redesign phase including materials found in medical packaging including opaque or pigmented PET, PETG, PS, and PVC.- How2Recycle: How2Recycle strives to create clear and cohesive on-package labeling and disposal instructions for consumers in both the US and Canada, promoting transparency and consistency in recycling practices.
Companies are encouraged to submit their complete packaging solutions, inclusive of over-wraps, caps/closures, and more, to the organization. The packaging is assigned a label based on one of four categories: Widely recyclable, check locally, store drop-off, and not yet recyclable. By incorporating this label on their packaging, companies can assist consumers in correctly recycling or disposing of the various packaging components. - Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC): The HPRC has established Design Guidelines for Optimal Hospital Plastics Recycling. This guidance is aimed at influencing the design of plastic healthcare products and packaging to enhance recyclability while maintaining product integrity and performance. The recommendations provided focus on selecting preferred materials for mechanical recycling processes and exploring potential opportunities for advanced recycling technologies in the future. Packaging materials and formats are classified by preferred design aspects, based on qualities that facilitate recyclability. Materials like PET, HDPE and PP are considered "Preferred" materials that optimize recyclability for rigid thermoformed blisters and trays. PETG is considered "less preferred," meaning that while this material does not optimize recyclability, the material has been proven to consistently meet product safety requirements. PS & PVC have been classified as "Not Preferred," indicating that these materials do not optimize recyclability and should be avoided when possible.
The Future of Recyclable Medical Packaging
While the use of plastics in healthcare have resulted in countless lifesaving benefits, the resulting waste generated must be handled effectively in a way that enables the plastics circular economy, where plastics aren't abandoned in landfills or scattered in our environment but are instead recycled efficiently when their product lifecycle ends. Through a robust recycling system, these materials can be reused into new applications, curbing landfill waste and reducing the demand for virgin plastic. Embracing design for recyclability is pivotal to realizing a circular economy for plastics.
Interested in finding out how Impact Plastics can help you comply with industry-standard guidelines for recyclable medical packaging? Reach out to our team of experts to learn how we help our Medical OEM & thermoforming companies replace problematic and non-recyclable materials including PS with sustainable, recyclable & high-performance material solutions.
Download our guide to gain more insights into our XPP Medical Polypropylene Solutions, and how to achieve sustainability in rigid food packaging:
