Technological watch

Amcor has joined the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC), a consortium of companies seeking to improve the recyclability of healthcare plastic products and packaging. Amcor will support HPRC with expertise in packaging design for medical devices and applications in hospitals and other treatment settings, it reported in a news release.

Amcor sees an opportunity for collaboration within the healthcare industry. “Patient safety and product protection will always come first in any medical packaging innovation, whilst at the same time Amcor strives to also protect our planet through the development of more sustainable packaging solutions,” Amcor Flexibles' Noemi Bertolino, product development director, told MD+DI. “Finding solutions requires a collaborative approach as there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this challenge, which is why Amcor is pleased to be working with the HPRC and their cross-value-chain members, including medical device manufacturers, to consider all aspects of the waste stream.”

Amcor’s HPRC membership builds on its past work in promoting package recycling. In 2018 Amcor pledged to develop all of its packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2025, and in 2019 the company launched AmLite Ultra Recyclable suitable for recycling in existing polyolefin recycling streams. AmLite Ultra Recyclable can be used for medical packaging for applications that do not require sterilization by high-temperature processes or gamma irradiation, such as diagnostics, MD+DI reported.

When asked how Amcor’s medical device packaging offerings would change to meet its 2025 pledge, Bertolino acknowledged that “healthcare packaging is one of the more challenging areas for the development of more sustainable packaging solutions. Prioritizing patient safety and product protection whilst developing recyclable innovations is an important focus for our R&D teams today and will continue to be so as we move towards 2025.”

Peylina Chu, executive director of HPRC, welcomed Amcor as a member. “As a packaging leader, Amcor is highly focused on creating a circular economy as shown in their 2025 pledge,” she stated in the press release. “With their technical expertise and their commitment to developing responsible packaging in collaboration with likeminded partners, Amcor is a fantastic addition to HPRC.”

Current HPRC members include BD, Baxter, Boston Scientific, DuPont Tyvek, Eastman, Gore, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Nelipak, Ravago, and ThermoFisher. HPRC Europe members include BD, Baxter, and Johnson & Johnson.