Life cycle assessment of pharmaceutical packaging addressing end-of-life alternatives.

Pharmaceutical packaging waste has increased due to a higher global demand for pharmaceutical products, leading to more waste generation and associated environmental impacts. The main goal of this article is to present a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment of pharmaceutical packaging, evaluating end-of-life (EoL) alternatives, aiming to identify hotspots and opportunities for improvement. A life cycle model was implemented for three types of pharmaceutical packaging (blisters, sachets, bottles; 23 packaging). The functional unit is the storage and delivery of medicines containing the same active pharmaceutical ingredient, dosage, and amount of medicines. Two EoL analyses were performed: 1) compare take-back (recycling and incineration) with domestic waste collection (landfill or incineration); and 2) assess different EoL situations of pharmaceutical packaging in Europe. A life cycle impact assessment was performed for 13 categories. Analysis 1 shows that take-back presents lower environmental impacts than domestic waste collection for seven out of 13 categories due to paper and glass recycling benefits. Analysis 2 shows that in the take-back, higher amounts of packaging are recycled or incinerated, which leads to lower EoL impacts. A sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the influence of parameters and assumptions in packaging EoL impacts. Packaging production contributes significantly to life cycle impacts, followed by transportation, EoL, and packing process. Ecodesign initiatives are recommended, such as packaging with less material and volume, using materials with lower impacts to significantly reduce the impacts of pharmaceutical packaging.

Ecodesign approach for pharmaceutical packaging based on Life Cycle Assessment.

Packaging ecodesign can contribute to improve the environmental performance of pharmaceutical products. The main goal of this article is to present an ecodesign approach based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for pharmaceutical packaging, assessing opportunities to improve the packaging environmental performance, and providing ecodesign recommendations to the pharmaceutical sector. The proposed ecodesign approach consists of five phases. I) The most representative packaging of medicines in the market (blister, bottle, and sachet), with different sizes, materials and weights, were investigated. II) Three ecodesign strategies were selected to analyze with LCA: i) weight and/or volume reduction, ii) alternative types of packaging, and iii) transportation with less environmental impact. III-IV) A cradle-to-gate life cycle model has been implemented, including transport to pharmacies. Alternative transportation modes (truck, train, airplane, and ship) and different packaging production locations have been considered. Thirteen environmental categories have been analyzed. V) Ecodesign recommendations for improving the environmental performance of pharmaceutical packaging are presented in two stages: i) specific recommendations based on LCA, illustrated in sheets with examples of ecodesign, quantifying the environmental impact reduction of an ecodesign solution compared to the original; and ii) generic recommendations for different packaging life cycle phases. Ecodesign recommendations highlight the use of smaller-size packaging, avoiding superfluous elements and empty spaces, which reduces material and production costs, and transportation impacts; the selection of modes of transportation with less environmental impact, considering the packaging production location; and the use of electric vehicles for pharmacy distribution. This ecodesign approach based on LCA allows quantifying environmental impacts robustly to support the incorporation of environmental information from the design, material selection, and packaging production to distribution till the final consumer. This article emphasizes the importance of developing specific packaging ecodesign based on LCA to improve environmental performance and provide more informed recommendations to stakeholders.