Wayne, PA – TekniPlex Healthcare, which utilizes advanced materials science expertise to help deliver better patient outcomes, has partnered with PET industry leader Alpek Polyester to introduce the world’s first 30% post-consumer recycled content pharmaceutical-grade blister film with Alpek’s Octal rDPET™ Sheet technology, the blister film also is fully recyclable.
Suitable for a wide array of primary packaging applications, Alpek Polyester’s branded Octal rDPET™ Sheet technology incorporates 30% PCR content on a mass balance basis. When combined with TekniPlex’s polyester lidding, Teknilid® Push, the film plus lidding blister system is also fully recyclable in the polyester recycling stream where recycling infrastructure exists. TekniPlex Healthcare will debut the new film, which will be marketed under the Tekniflex® Circular PET film series, at Pharmapack Paris, Stands C48 & C49, January 24-25.
Directly integrated depolymerization, an aspect of Alpek Polyester’s Direct-to-Sheet process, enables post-consumer and post-industrial plastics waste to be unzipped back to its monomer state, then rebuilt as a new polymer and transformed directly into sheets without compromising performance attributes typically degraded in conventional mechanical recycling processes. Octal rDPET™ Pharma Grade products provide the ability to return post-consumer and post-industrial waste back into new PET sheets repeatedly without degrading the film’s mechanical or optical properties.
The benchmark-setting new blister film meets all pharmaceutical requirements for PET as outlined in the European Pharmacopoeia Section 3.1.15, and United States Pharmacopoeia Section 661.1. This offering comes as the latest in a longstanding relationship between TekniPlex Healthcare and Alpek Polyester, who have collaborated on the supply of PET sheets for pharmaceutical and medical film applications for many years.
Among other benefits, adopting the new Octal rDPET™ blister film with PCR content allows pharma companies to stay ahead of pending sustainability legislation poised to affect packaging in all industries, without losing quality. The EU’s forthcoming Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation will impose recyclability deadlines on all industries and PCR content baselines across a multitude of sectors. Similar movements are progressing elsewhere, leading to demand for more sustainable pharmaceutical packaging solutions that do not compromise material quality, product protection or patient health.
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“This is the first time pharmaceutical companies have the option to incorporate a blister pack that is fully recyclable and, at the same time, contains a significant portion of recycled material – all while still meeting stringent pharmaceutical quality standards for product protection and consumer safety,” said Melissa Green, Head of Global Marketing for TekniPlex Healthcare. “We anticipate high demand for this new, more sustainable film, as it meets ever-growing calls for elevated eco-friendliness in packaging across all sectors, including pharma.”
“Alpek Polyester is excited to partner with TekniPlex and offer Octal rDPET™ Sheet as an innovative solution to meet their need for a sustainable solution in TekniPlex’s Blister Film offering,” said Arnaud Figard, VP/ GM for Alpek Polyester’s Sheet Business. “Expanding the use and benefits of Direct-To-Sheet Technology with Post Consumer Recycle content into pharma is the next step in environmentally friendly packaging and future policy requirements.”
Also at Pharmapack, TekniPlex Healthcare will showcase its recently incorporated next-generation filling and sealing machine for plastic containers. The Pentafill® A25 Filling & Sealing Machine offers several improvements over previous models, including improved sterility and a smaller footprint. Capable of producing up to 25 five-vial strips (125 vials total) per minute, the PentafIll® A25 filling and sealing machine is suitable for filling a wide range of viscosities for applications serving the pharmaceutical, diagnostics, nutraceuticals and animal health markets.
Finally, TekniPlex Healthcare will exhibit examples of its pharma rubber compounding and manufacturing solutions for healthcare applications, including gaskets and closures. Manufactured to precise dimensional tolerances to ensure proper fit and function within packaging or medical devices, the company’s pharma-grade rubber substantially minimizes the risk of migration-associated impurities like extractables and leachables. In addition, TekniPlex’s modern laboratories enable development and testing of unique rubber solutions for customer-specific applications.
About TekniPlex Healthcare
TekniPlex Healthcare utilizes advanced materials science expertise and technologies to develop and deliver critical solutions for medical and diagnostic devices, drug delivery systems and healthcare packaging applications. With a global reach, the division’s deep understanding of the greater pharmaceuticals and medical landscape helps it produce exemplary barrier properties for drugs and precision medical devices for interventional and therapeutic procedures.
TekniPlex Healthcare’s ever-evolving portfolio includes CDMO capabilities, allowing the division to service every stage of the medical device product life cycle, from design and development through component manufacturing and final assembly. Its broad offering helps meet demands for high-leverage medicines and mission-critical healthcare products that benefit care providers and patients. For more information visit www.tekni-plex.com/healthcare.
About Alpek Polyester
Alpek Polyester is the “Polyester” (PTA, PET, rPET, and PSF) business segment of Alpek, a leading petrochemical company. Alpek is a leading producer of PTA, PET resin and PET sheet worldwide, one of the largest rPET producers in the Americas, the third largest expandable polystyrene manufacturer worldwide, and the only producer of polypropylene in Mexico. In 2022, Alpek reported revenues of U.S. $10.6 billion and Comparable EBITDA of U.S. $1.4 billion. The Company operates 35 plants across the United States, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom, and employs over 7,000 people. Alpek is a publicly traded company listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange.