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Eco Friendly Pharmaceutical Packaging Material

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World Applied Sciences Journal 14 (11): 1703-1716, 2011
ISSN 1818-4952
IDOSI Publications, 2011

Eco Friendly Pharmaceutical Packaging Material

Anupama Singh, Pramod Kumar Sharma and Rishabha Malviya

Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology,

Bypass Road, Baghpat Crossing, NH-58, Meerut-250 005, U.P., India

Abstract: Eco friendly pharmaceutical packaging materials are the safe materials for environment which
enclose pharmaceutical product in any of the dosage forms. They may be derived from natural resources,
like starches, proteins etc. that inflict little or nearly no harm on the environment and the environment
dependent species. This review highlight the eco friendly materials, their classification, uses, advantages and
finally summarizes the scope and future need in respect of pharmaceutical packaging. Classification has
been done under several categories based on their uses, chemical constituents and the type of raw material
used for its manufacturing. This review, details all the above mentioned aspects and the responsibility of
pharmaceutical sector for progressive development of such eco friendly packaging.

Key words: Environment friendly Pharmaceutical packaging Biodegradable Recyclable Reusable

INTRODUCTION light, oxygen and temperature variations. This type of

Pharmaceutical packaging materials are the collection
of different components which surround the
pharmaceutical product since the time of production till
its use. Thus pharmaceutical packaging, as a
collective term, may be defined as the science, art
and technology of enclosing or protecting products
for distribution, storage, sale and usage including
printed material, employed in the finishing of a
pharmaceutical product [1, 2]. It serves as an
economical means of providing identification,
presentation, protection, information and convenience
from the time of production until it is used or
administered [3, 4].
The type of pharmaceutical packaging used
depends upon its function and type of the material used.
All packaging materials must finally be evaluated via
testing of selected materials, sterilization, storage and
stability studies. Packaging of pharmaceutical
products plays a very significant role in the maintenance
of their quality [1, 5].
protection can be provided by using blister packing
(Pharma-grade Barrier films and Eco-friendly Halogen-
free films).
Biological Protection: It is meant for the protection
against biological contaminants.
Physical Protection: It is meant for the protection of
pharmaceutical dosage forms against physical damage.
Information Communication: In pharmaceutical context,
packagings should carry the information on the correct
usage of dosage forms, their contents, their provenance,
side-effects and warnings.
Identification: It is meant for identification of the product.
Security: Pharmaceutical packaging possesses certain
features to prevent it from counterfeiting. It also
prevents small children from accessing the contents of
formulations.

Functions of Packaging [6] Convenience: Packaging must be convenient enough

Barrier Protection: It is meant for protection against to increase consumer access to products and
all adverse external influences that can alter the improve distribution, handling, selling and using
properties of the product, which may include moisture, such products.

Corresponding Author: Anupama Singh, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Meerut Institute of Engineering
and Technology, Bypass Road, Baghpat Crossing, NH-58, Meerut-250005, U.P. India.
Tel: +91-9720200161.
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 World Appl. Sci. J., 14 (11): 1703-1716, 2011
Marketing: It is often used as marketing tool to
differentiate a product and/or to convey a certain
message or brand image to highlight the pharmaceutical
aspects for consumers.
The kind of packaging and the materials used must be
chosen in such a way that:
Packaging itself does not produce any adverse
effect on the quality of the pharmaceutical product
through chemical reactions, leaching of packaging
materials, or absorption.
Product does not produce any adverse effect on
the quality of pharmaceutical packaging by
changing its properties, or affecting its protective
functions [7].
Packaging as well as the product itself should not
have any adverse effect on the environment.
Another important factor considered must be its
low cost, ease of fabrication, availability and
regulatory acceptance of the material as well as the
final product used.
The key philosophy of packaging is that it must be
gentle to the environment and thus, most of the
pharmaceutical companies are willing to accept this as
their prime responsibility [8]. As a result pharmaceutical
companies have also started the use of recycled
resources for packaging and made their packaging easier
to recycle [8].
Eco Friendly Pharmaceutical Packaging: The word
eco friendly, also known as environmental friendly or
nature friendly or green packaging materials are
packaging that uses environment safe materials in
its production thus to inflict minimal or no harm on
the environment. Such environmental friendly
pharmaceutical packaging materials often are marked
with eco-labels. Various research and development
projects are on the way to introduce the use of
biodegradable and eco friendly packaging materials.
The design of such biodegradable and eco friendly
packaging materials are the present day need and
thus must be used to replace an existing packaging
material, or to complement one which are available in
market [7, 8, 10-12]. Products for eco friendly packaging
provides options which include paper/ cardboard
(preferably recycled or from sustainable sources)
and corn starch which are biodegradable in nature.
Corn starch can be used to make a wide variety of
different products including bags, trays and boxes and
1704
provides a great alternative to plastic but with similar
hard-wearing properties [13]. Once a product is in
the market it is difficult to improve the environmental
characteristics of packaging or a device hence,
environmental considerations are taken into account
at an early stage of development [14]. Packaging
design is challenging enough to provide a solution
for current ecological needs by providing efficient
ways to package the formulation in pharmaceutical
industry [7]. These designs also aim to reduce the
amount of packaging material that is ultimately
disposed off. Greener packaging designs fulfills
the needs of most pharmaceutical manufacturers
without sacrificing our environment. For this various
types of eco friendly packaging materials have been
developed. Packaging and devices are therefore
designed and manufactured to allow recycling of a
certain percentage by weight or have a minimum
calorific value to allow optimization of energy
recovery. Characteristics of eco friendly
packaging include that it should be well-designed,
streamlined, biodegradable and easily recyclable or
reusable [8].
Pharma industry too is progressing towards the
use of such reusable materials to meet the growing
challenges of the present century. Two major concepts
of eco-friendly pharmaceutical packaging material are
that they are either recyclable or biodegradable.
With the advent of new technology and increasing
demand, biodegradable packaging has become
cost-effective and many companies are boosting their
sales due to their switch over to biodegradable
packaging. Cosmetics and natural health products are
also enhancing their brand image by adopting such
type of packaging since, eco friendly
pharmaceutical packaging is one of the hottest
ethical global trends. It also adds brand value to a
particular product [15].
The development of environment friendly
pharmaceutical packaging material technology is still in
the phase of growth [14].
CLASSIFICATION
Environment friendly pharmaceutical packaging
materials can be classified in several ways:
Based on their uses (given in Table 1) [16].
Based on the chemical constituent used.
Polysaccharide.
 World Appl. Sci. J., 14 (11): 1703-1716, 2011

Table 1: Functional parameters of eco friendly pharmaceutical packaging material1

Parameters Description
Barrier protection Provides protection against moisture, light, oxygen and temperature variations
Biological protection Provides protection against biological contaminants
Physical protection Ensures protection against any physical damage
Information communication Conveys information on the correct usage of dosage forms, their contents, their provenance, side-effects and warnings
Identification Easy identification of the product
Security Protection from small children and against counterfeiting
Convenience Increase consumer access to products and improve distribution, handling, selling and using such products
Marketing Differentiate a product and/or to convey a certain message or brand image to highlight the
pharmaceutical aspects for consumers

Starch: Starch, a polysaccharide, is a renewable, eco
friendly and widely available raw material. It is
obtained from various sources such as legumes,
tubers, cereals. The primary source of starch is corn,
potato, wheat and rice. It can be pressed into sheets
for packing thin walled products such as trays,
disposable dishes etc [17-24]. It is used as a loose
fill for packaging, bags and sacks, flexible packaging,
rigid packaging. Since starch packaging materials are
brittle in nature when a high concentration of starch is
used, various biodegradable plasticizers like glycerol
and other low-molecular weight polyhydroxy compounds,
polyethers and urea are added. Plasticizers inhibit the
microbial growth by lowering the water activity [17].
In recent years, compostable materials involving
starch based thermoplastic materials are dominating the
market [17]. The blend of biodegradable starch based
polymers like polylactide, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB),
polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and a copolymer of PHB
and valeric acid (V) with aliphatic polyesters or polyvinyl
alcohol has increased some of their properties with
significant use in various industrial applications.
Four types of starch based polymers are available [24-27]:
cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose and cellulose acetate.
Among these derivatives cellulose acetate is widely
used in pharmaceutical packaging and other laboratory
works [17, 22, 24, 28-30].
Xylan: It forms a group of substances called hemi-
cellulose. It is a naturally occurring most common
carbohydrate found in plant cell walls and some algae.
It is also obtained as residue from agricultural industries.
Like cardboard, xylan is biodegradable, compostable and
hence eco friendly. Xylophane is thus used as an
environment friendly packaging material [31-32].
Chitin/Chitosan: It occurs in the exoskeleton of
invertebrates. It forms the second most abundant
polysaccharide resource after cellulose. Chitin is
widely used in packaging due to its antimicrobial
property, thus maintains the preservative action and
protects the product from unnecessary microbial
growth. It has the unique property to absorb heavy metal
ions and is mostly used as packaging material in edible
coatings. Chitosan-cellulose and polycaprolactone forms
the biodegradable laminate in modified atmosphere
packaging of fresh product [17, 19].

Starch synthetic aliphatic polyester blends.
Thermoplastic starch products.
Starch-Polyvinyl alcohol blends.
Starch polybutylene succinate or polybutylene
succinate adipate (PBSA) polyester blends.
Cellulose: Cellophane is the most common
cellulose-based biopolymer. Cellulose is a linear
polymer of anhydroglucose that occurs most
abundantly in nature. Cellulose derivatives widely
used for packaging, are commercially produced;
examples of which include methyl cellulose, ethyl
cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl
Protein: A protein is formed of repeating units of
amino acids. The chemical modification of side chain of
these polymers through grafting help in tailoring the
properties of packaging material. Cross linking of
polymer and graft copolymerization of natural polymer
with synthetic monomer is better alternative
advancement towards biodegradable packaging films
[17, 33]. Protein based raw materials are derived from
replenishable, agricultural feed stocks often called
agricultural materials or agro-packaging materials that are
renewable and biodegradable and used in edible
packaging. The concept of agro-packaging refers to
the use of renewable products and control of the end

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 World Appl. Sci. J., 14 (11): 1703-1716, 2011
Table 2: Classification on basis of uses
Type of packaging material
Multi use packaging
Material or chemical recycling packaging
Packaging meant for burning i.e. energy recovery with energetic recycling
Single-use packaging
Edible packaging
products. Numerous plant and animal proteins are
commonly used as raw material for agro-packaging
materials. Thus proteins can be divided into proteins
from plant origin (e.g. soy, gluten, pea, potato etc.)
and proteins from animal origin (e.g. casein, whey,
collagen, keratin etc.).The classification on the basis of
origin has been illustrated in Table 2 [34-48].
Based on the Type of Raw Material
Plastics: Plastic packaging constitutes 20% of the
weight of all packaging. Plastic coating and
packaging materials are often signaled out as the
main environmental culprits hence technological
advancements are now in the growth phase to find out
more innovative ways to reduce the environmental
impact of packaging thus making more biodegradable
and hence eco friendly materials out of the existing one
[49-53]. Previously plastics were produced from
petrochemicals but they had contributed to
environmental crisis due to their non recyclability,
hence, as an alternative eco friendly bio plastics have
now been obtained from plant sources like plant
derived polysaccharides (corn, wheat, potatoes) and
proteins which are recyclable, as already discussed
[15, 54]. Polymers isolated from natural sources are
processed to produce plastics. For example, lactic acid is
extracted from corn to produce plastic, long chain
polymers like poly lactic acids obtained by microbial
transformation of starch extracted from plant sources.
Hydrophilic synthetic polymer molecules are blended
with these natural products to give environment friendly
plastics [15]. Plastic forms the most versatile groups of
materials used in packaging because they can be easily
modified to satisfy a broad spectrum of packaging and
other demands. Child-resistant plastic closures and
leak-proof plastic containers for medicines and chemicals
provide safety, convenience, ergonomics and ease of use.
It is one of the most energy efficient, robust, eco friendly
and economic pharmaceutical packaging material due to
its light weight and relative strength [54].
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Examples Properties
Glass bottles for medicines, injection syringes Refilled
Plastic bottles for medicated hand wash
Glass, metal, paper and plastics for instance bottles Recycled
from polyethylene terephthalate i.e. PET
Paper, cardboard, plastics Recycled
Paper and biodegradable plastics (PVC sheets) Biodegradable
Starch, gelatin, pectins, wheat bran etc. Biodegradable
Plastics can be molded to desired shape, protect
against contamination and serves as the perfect
materials for shipping and storing intricate medical
instruments. The flexibility of plastics are particularly
suitable in the field of pharmaceutical packaging for
molded packaging with sealing systems for controlled
dosage [55-58]. The two main types of biodegradable
plastics are available in the market viz. hydro-
biodegradable plastics (HBP) and oxo-biodegradable
plastics (OBP). Hydro-biodegradable plastics (HBP) are
made up of agricultural resources like corn, wheat,
sugarcane. Some of the commonly used polymers include
polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), polyhydroxybutyrate-
valerate (PHBV), polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone
(PCL), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) etc. HBPs degrade and biodegrade
somewhat more quickly to carbon dioxide (CO 2),
water (H2O) and biomass. Oxo-biodegradable plastics
(OBP) consists of a mixture of small proportion of
compounds of specific transition metals (iron, manganese,
cobalt and nickel) and polyolefins such as polypropylene
(PP), polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS). OBP has
an advantage over HBP that they do not emit methane
in anaerobic conditions [59]. Plastic packaging material
comes in various forms like PET, PVC, PS, polyamide,
polyester, polyolefins and ethylene vinyl alcohol;
which are used for various types of pharmaceutical
products. It also involves preparation of flexible
packaging [6]. The main use of such containers is for
bags for parenteral solutions. Hence they must be
safe enough to maintain the drug properties as well as
not to impose any environmental adverse effect [60-61].
Among the above mentioned examples, polyolefins and
polyesters are the most commonly used eco friendly
plastic packaging materials.
Polyolefins: It is a collective term for polypropylene
and polyethylene, the two most commonly used
plastics in pharmaceutical packaging. They both offers
flexibility, lightness, strength, chemical resistance,
 World Appl. Sci. J., 14 (11): 1703-1716, 2011
stability, moisture, easy processability and are well opted
for recycling and reuse. The two basic categories of
polyethylene are high density polyethylene and low
density polyethylene. The high density polyethylene
plastic containers are the most recycled among these two
plastic packaging materials [25, 62, 63].
Polyesters: Polyethylene naphthalate (PEN),
polycarbonate and polyethylene terephthalate (PETE
or PET) are the condensation polymers that are formed
from ester monomers through reaction between carboxylic
acid and alcohol. PETE is the most commonly used
polyester in packaging as containers (bottles, jars and
tubs), semi rigid sheets for thermoforming (trays and
blisters) and thin oriented films (bags). PETE is recyclable
to various other packaging applications.
Polystyrene: Polystyrene is used in protective
applications such as containers, disposable plastic
syringes and for cushioning. It can be recycled or
incinerated [62, 64]. Polystyrene in its pure form is non
biodegradable, hence oxo-degradable polystyrene
foam containers are formed which uses totally degradable
plastic additives (TDPAC), mixed with the base resin that
acts as a catalyst to promote degradation, without
compromising performance [64].
Glass: Glass accounts for 20% of the weight of all
packaging. Its raw materials are present in abundant
quantity in nature hence it is considered greener. It can
be reused and recycled easily to make new containers
which further reduce its untoward environmental impact.
Glass is the only packaging material rated 'GRAS' or
'generally regarded as safe' by the U.S. Food & Drug
Administration [25, 64-66]. Glass is widely used as an eco
friendly pharmaceutical packaging material. Various
grades of glasses are classified official in pharmacopoeias
based on their utility and chemical characteristics [67].
They are used as the first choice containers in cosmetics
and certain pharmaceuticals including medicinal products
for oral and local administration, for example, bottles for
tablets, injections syringes for unit or multi-dose
administration [6, 68].
Recycling of glass in the manufacture of new bottles
and jars requires substantially less energy and is thus
preferred from the resource conservation standpoint.
Glass containers are more preferred for parenterals due
to ease of sterilization and clear visibility. Although they
can be processed in different forms according to the need,
e.g. amber glass bottles are produced to prevent photo
1707
degradation of light sensitive drugs. Also most of the
parts of analytical instruments used in pharmaceuticals
are made of glass to increase the visibility [64, 68].
Metals: Metal is the most versatile of all pharmaceutical
packaging material. These have excellent barrier
properties, physical protection, formability, durablility,
decorative potential, consumer potential and recyclability
[15, 68]. Metals are used as containers for pharmaceutical
products for non parenteral administration such as
tubes, cans, aerosol and gas cylinders and packs made
from foils or blisters. Different types of metals used in
pharmaceutical packaging materials include aluminum,
tin plate, steel etc.
Aluminum: It is mainly used for making seamless
containers, as aluminum foils and laminates. It is
recyclable into new products and hence forms the eco
friendly pharmaceutical packaging material [25, 69, 70].
It has high intrinsic worth to reclaim the metal from
packaging waste with less economic expense. Also the
recycling process does not degrade the metal, so that new
aluminum packs can be prepared from 100% recycled
material [64]. Pure aluminum metal can be rolled into thin
sheets, followed by annealing to prepare aluminum foils
used for variety of pharmaceutical applications such as
alu-alu blister packs, inner seals for pharmaceutical
containers which provide tamper evident and a hermetic
barrier. Binding of aluminum foil to plastic film or paper
forms laminates of packaging which improve barrier
properties. Another alternative to laminate packaging is
metalized film, which are plastics containing a thin layer
of aluminum metal. The individual components of
laminates and metallized films are recyclable but
separating them is difficult and hence this prevents their
economic feasible recycling. The main advantage of
these films is that they provide improved barrier
protection to dosage forms against moisture, air, oils and
odors. They also have high reflective surface that
increases its acceptability to patients [64, 71].
Tinplate: Tinplate is produced from low carbon steel
coated on both sides with thin layers of tin. It is
widely used to form aerosol containers and package
closures [25, 69]. It is easily recyclable many times to
new packaging products without loss of quality and is
cheaper than aluminum. It provides excellent barrier
protection, amenability for printing, graphics, retorting,
strength, formability, longer shelf life to the dosage form
and above all eco friendliness [70, 71].
 World Appl. Sci. J., 14 (11): 1703-1716, 2011
Steel: Traditionally as much as 40% of steel scrap was
recycled for the production of new steel. There are
different types of steels such as Carbon Steels, Alloy
Steels, Tool Steels, Stainless Steels. From an
environmental standpoint, it can be readily and
cheaply separated from mixed waste using magnets
[64, 72]. Steel containers are used as both primary and
secondary packaging for pharmaceutical products
such as aerosols. It is also used in bottle caps and
closures as a tamper proof packaging material. Steel
recycling is more economical to aluminum [27, 71-73].
Paper and Paperboard: Paper and paperboard are
made up of interlaced network of cellulose fibers,
obtained from wood. In late 19th century there occurred
increase in the use of paper and boards for packaging.
Paper is always treated, coated, laminated or impregnated
with materials such as waxes, resins or lacquers when
used as primary packaging to improve functional and
protective properties [6, 54, 74-75]. Different types of
papers used in packaging are kraft paper, sulfite paper,
grease proof paper, glassine and parchment paper.
Having all the properties combined, paperboard is
thicker than paper and in multiple layers with high weight
per unit area. Paperboards can be classified as:
Solid Board: It has multiple layers of bleached sulfate
board. It is used to create liquid cartons (known as milk
board) when laminated with polyethylene.
White Board: It is made of several layers of bleached
chemical pulp. It is used as primary packaging material
when coated with wax or laminated with polyethylene
for heat sealability. Moreover, white board paper is also
used as the inner layer of a carton.
Chipboard: It is lined with white board to improve
appearance and strength and is made from recycled
paper to make the outer layers of cartons.
Fiberboard: It occurs in two forms: solid or corrugated.
The solid board has an inner layer of white board and
an outer layer of kraft. On laminating with aluminum or
plastics barrier protection is improved to pack products
in dry form. On the other hand, corrugated type is made
of two layers of kraft paper with a central corrugating
(or fluting) material. It has high resistance to impact
abrasion which makes it suitable for packing products
during shipping [25]. Paper forms to be the most
recyclable naturally occurring material and hence suitably
1708
opted for eco friendly pharmaceutical packaging [15].
They have a good environmental image because they
are completely biodegradable and their raw materials
are renewable. Paper and board are often coated and
laminated with impermeable materials to improve their
strength and rigidity when wet. Though this makes their
recycling technically difficult and costly but not
impossible to re-pulp these materials for use in similar
applications [64, 76, 77]. Paperboard materials are widely
used as secondary pharmaceutical packaging in the
construction of corrugated boxes [6, 71, 78].
Rubber: Rubber is obtained from latex found in the
sap of some plants. It is used in pharmaceutical
packaging as closures [79, 80]. Eco friendly rubber
contains a high percentage (up to 80 %) of recycled
rubber and no such substances that harm the
environment [80].
Mixed Material Packaging: It is a new type of
packaging consisting of a mixture of several types of
packaging material. Although each material used is
recyclable yet combination of these materials makes
recycling technically difficult but not impossible.
Mixed material packaging are more resource and
energy efficient than single material packaging. An
example of this type of packaging is Tetra Pak which
consists of 75% paper, 20% polyethylene and 5%
aluminum foil. The mixed material packaging can be
reprocessed into other new packs (all data depicted in
Figure 1) [79-81].
Historically, packaging was used to transport the
formulations from their place of manufacture till its use.
Later the use of packaging became prominent in the
preservation, identification and protection of
formulations for longer shelf life. Since then various
revolutionary changes have occurred according to
latest WHO and cGMP guidelines catering to the ever
expanding range of pharmaceutical products that are in
the market. Previously, the packages were obtained
from natural resources originated from plant material
[64]. These materials were then processed to form
packages that have improved properties according to
the requirements of the dosage form. Although glass
making began in 7000 B.C. but it was first industrialized
in Egypt in 1500 B.C. Then glass containers of all
shapes and sizes dominated the market from early 1900s
till late 1960s for liquid formulations. The glass used in
packaging today is the only type of glass accepted in
US recycling programs. Other packaging materials
 World Appl. Sci. J., 14 (11): 1703-1716, 2011
gained popularity in 1970s such as plastics and metals.
Metals e.g. iron and tin plated steel were also used as
packaging materials in the early 19th century.
Development of other metals like aluminum incorporated
their use into pharmaceutical packaging to improve
performance and functionality [54, 72, 83]. The first
aluminum foil containers were designed in the early
1950s while the use of aluminum can appeared in 1959.
Soon after paperboard, cartons and corrugated
fiberboard boxes were introduced later in the 19th century.
Their popularity gained pace throughout much of the
20th century.
Advancements in packaging in the early 20th century
introduced other packaging materials such as bakelite
closures on bottles, transparent cellophane overwraps
and panels on cartons. The advent of plastics between
late 1970s and early 1980s significantly replaced paper
and its related products in many pharmaceutical uses.
Several plastics were discovered in the nineteenth
century such as styrene in 1831, vinyl chloride in 1835
and celluloid in the late 1860s but, these materials did
not become practical for packaging until twentieth
century [84]. Currently, focus on newer packaging
materials are in progress that incorporates recyclable
and reusable resources. Research in the production of
biodegradable packaging materials is the current aspect
of developing eco friendly pharmaceutical packaging
materials [49, 85]. To overcome the problem of
biodegradation, more emphasis is now paid on flexible
packaging. It is the source-reduced form of packaging
that incorporates the least amount of material.
Moreover, it reduces the weight of overall formulation
as well as creates very little waste to be discarded.
Cloth and paper are the oldest forms of flexible packaging.
Decreasing the amount of material in pharmaceutical
packaging is usually more important than the composition
of the package to obtain the best eco friendly form of
packaging. Other flexible pharmaceutical packagings
introduced recently include collapsible, soft metal tubes
made up of plastic [54].
Need for the Development of Eco Friendly Pharmaceutical
Packaging Material: The primary function of any
pharmaceutical packaging material is the protection of
formulation against ambient environment to enhance
its shelf life and conserve its contents. The focus must
also be paid on the protection of the environment
against the undesirable effect of pharmaceutical
packaging materials. Environment protection is also a
matter of great concern in many countries. The
1709
development of pharmaceutical packaging involves
considerations for environmental responsibility,
sustainability and certain applicable environmental and
recycling regulations.
More attention has been paid to the disposal and
recycling of packaging waste in many countries [79].
Traditionally used eco friendly pharmaceutical packaging
covers a very small percentage of waste, but its disposal
can cause environmental problem too. Provisions should
be made to introduce newer eco friendly packaging
materials with the aim of [79, 85]:
Reduction of the Quantity of Packaging Material:
Attempts should be made to reduce the bulk of
pharmaceutical packaging material so that lesser waste
will be generated which can be easily biodegradable,
reusable, nontoxic and inert.
Recycling of Pharmaceutical Packaging Material:
The use of recyclable or biodegradable packaging
material such as aluminum, paper and glass creates less
or no waste and hence they are environmentally safe.
Elimination and Incineration of Pharmaceutical
Packaging: Incineration is recommended to eliminate
contaminated packaging. The combustion heat thus
generated can be used for various purposes. For example,
those plastic materials that cannot be recycled are
therefore incinerated. This process involves the waste
treatment process done by combustion of organic
substances contained in waste materials that coverts the
waste into ash, flue gas and heat. This process also
reduces the solid mass of the original waste by 80-85%
and the volume by 95-96 %. Thus incineration does not
completely replace land filling, but significantly reduces
the necessary volume for disposal.
Recently, more attention is paid on the development
of eco friendly biodegradable pharmaceutical packaging
materials from natural renewable resources such as,
agro-based materials [86-88]. As these materials are
renewable and biodegradable they contribute to
development of pharmaceutical sustainable packaging
and this reduces their environmental impact upon
disposal. Such biodegradable packaging materials are
suitable for single use disposable packaging applications.
Qualities of Eco Friendly Pharmaceutical Packaging
Material
Reduce: It is the property of eco friendly packaging
material to minimize the bulk of packaging. This reduces
 World Appl. Sci. J., 14 (11): 1703-1716, 2011

the unnecessary dumping of degradation products.
Moreover, certain legislative standards also prevent the
over packaging of some formulations. For example, it is
good to use one large bottle of formulation instead of
individual small bottles, multiple dosage containers
rather than single use containers. Three most important
aspects of reducing pharmaceutical packaging material
include [72, 74, 79, 81, 82]:
Reuse: The property of eco friendly packaging material to
be used over and over again is termed as reuse. This
property involves the use of packaging material in its
original form. For example a number of toiletries from
the body shop and cleaning liquids are sold in
reusable or returnable containers. Similarly, buying
milk in reusable bottles avoids the creation of plastic
waste [72, 79].

Reduction of quantity of packaging waste Renew: It is the property of eco friendly packaging
Supporting eco friendly marketing campaigns material obtained from renewable natural resources
Increasing shipping efficiency that can be reprocessed into new packaging, e.g.
thermoplastic.
Recycle: It is the property of eco friendly packaging
material to turn used packaging material into newer Repurpose: This is the property of eco friendly
packaging. The examples include glass, metal, packaging material to be molded in another new form
thermoplastic, paper and paperboards, which are with another pharmaceutical purpose in mind [79].
recyclable eco friendly packaging material. Also materials Based upon these environmental issues and
reclaimed through glass and metal recycling are properties eco friendly pharmaceutical packaging
considerably safer for formulations against materials are represented in table form as shown in
microorganisms [25, 79]. Table 3 [25].

Table 3: Classification on basis of origin

Plant Derived Proteins Animal Derived Proteins
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Description Type Description
Gluten Main storage protein in wheat and corn, plastic exhibits Casein Milk derived protein, easily processable.
high gloss, resistant to water, does not dissolve in Used as a thermoset plastic, for bottle labeling
water but absorb water during immersion, have low price. due to excellent adhesive properties.
Used in edible films, adhesives, molded biodegradable
thermoplastic films for agricultural uses, windows in envelopes,
surface coatings on paper, water-soluble bags with
fertilizers, detergents, cosmetics.
Soy protein Commercially available as soy concentrate, soy flour Keratin Structural protein extracted from waste streams
and soy isolate have different protein content. such as hair, nails and feathers, poor
Used as adhesives or biodegradable plastics produced mechanical properties, cheapest protein.
from soy isolate and concentrate by thermomolding process, Used to produce fully biodegradable water
as inks, paper coatings, oil for lubrication, soy films as insoluble plastic.
coating materials for preservation.
Whey By-product of cheese industry, rich in -lactoglobulin Collagen Fibrous, flexible and structural protein with
which forms the basis for its use in packaging as common repeating unit: proline, glycine and
edible coatings and films. hydroproline, found in animal tissues particularly
tendons, skin and bones.
Used as packaging material in several
pharmaceutical applications.
Zein Comprises a group of alcohol soluble proteins Gelatin Obtained from skin and bones.
(prolamines) found in corn endosperm. Used as a packaging material for improving
Zein based films used as biobased packaging material moisture sensitivity, as a raw material for
and in pharmaceutical coatings. photographic films, for microencapsulating aromas,
vitamins and sweeteners, as gelatin films in
pharmaceutical industry to fabricate tablets and capsules.

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Table 4: General Properties and environmental issues

Types of packaging material Properties of packaging material Environmental Issues
-------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------
Glass Advantages Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages
# Inert # Needs separate closure # Recyclable #Heavy
# Withstand heat process # Easily breakable # Reusable # Bulky to transport
# Impermeable to moisture and gases # Refillable
Metals Tin plate # Strong and formable #Reacts with formulations #Recyclable # Heavier than aluminum
# Impermeable to moisture and gases and hence coating required # Magnetic thus can
# Resistance to corrosion be separated
# Withstands heat process
Aluminum # Impermeable to moisture and gases # Limited structural strength # Recyclable # Separation difficulties
# Withstands heat process # Cannot be welded # Economic incentive in laminated form
# Resistance to corrosion to recycle
# Light weight
Tin free steel # Strong and formable # Reacts with formulations
# Impermeable to moisture and gases and hence coating required
# Resistance to corrosion
# Withstands heat process
Paper # Light in weight # Permeable to moisture # Recyclable
# More resourceful and and gases # Reusable
hence easily available # Easy to tear # Bio-degradable
# Less ability of processing
Plastic Poly-olefins #Impermeable to moisture # Poor gas barrier # High energy source # Easily recyclable in semi
# Resistant to chemicals for incineration rigid form but
# Strong # Recyclable identification and separation
more difficult for films
Poly-esters # Good barrier properties # Easily recyclable in
# Strong semi rigid form but
# Withstand for filling # Recyclable identification and separation
more difficult for films
Poly-vinyl # Moldable # Recyclable # Contains chlorine
chloride # Resistant to chemicals # Requires separation from
other waste
Poly-vinylidene # Impermeable to # Recyclable # Contains chlorine
chloride moisture and gases # Requires separation from
# Heat sealable other waste
# Withstands filling

Mechanism of Action of Their Eco Friendly Character:
The main concept of eco friendly and user friendly
packaging material is based upon its biodegradable
efficacy. The total biodegradability of raw materials
derived from replenishable agricultural feedstock
such as starch, cellulose and proteins occurs to
environment friendly benign products such as carbon
dioxide, water and quality compost [19]. The simple
mechanism of biodegradation of pharmaceutical
packaging materials is the initial direct enzymatic
scission of digestible macromolecules forming a chain.
Then the split portions are metabolized leading to the
enzymatic dissimilation of the macromolecule from the
chain ends. Oxidative cleavage of macromolecules
constituting the basic skeleton of pharmaceutical
packaging material often leads to better metabolization
of the fragments which are smaller enough to be
converted by microorganisms [9, 89, 90]. Ideally the
eco friendly pharmaceutical packaging material will be
decomposed in a bio waste collection and the later gets
composted into environment friendly byproducts such
as carbon dioxide and water.

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Another mechanism is photo degradation of
pharmaceutical packaging material to smaller
disposable materials which do not create any
environmental hazard.
Some biodegradable pharmaceutical packaging
material experience rapid dissolution when exposed to
particular chemical based aqueous solutions. This is
then followed by full biodegradation of the aqueous
solutions through microbial digestion. Such packaging
materials that disintegrate upon exposure to aqueous
solutions are utilized for the transport and disposal of
pharmaceutical wastes.
Scope of Eco Friendly Pharmaceutical Packaging
Material: Government of China and Germany are
encouraging the research activities towards the wide
spread application of biodegradable materials to reduce
the waste thus generated. A world leading chemical
and plastic industry, BASF, is working on further
development of starch and polyester based
biodegradable plastic materials like Ecoflex [49-51].
Polyvinyl alcohol product known as Depart is another
eco friendly pharmaceutical packaging material
finding wider range of applications in hospital laundry
bags and catheter bags. Developed countries like
England already have a plastic department in London,
which is now actively participating in the development
of biocomposite pharmaceutical packaging [49].
They follow the European packaging directives for
material recovery of packaging waste. Though European
nations are the front runners in eco friendly
pharmaceutical packaging material research and
development activities but impressive development
work is still in progress in other developing countries [50].
The ultimate goal of developments is to find an optimum
pharmaceutical packaging material with full
biodegradability. Biodegradable packaging is a latest
step in sustainable packaging design. Moreover, some
packaging also bears eco-friendly labeling which serve as
an essential point of differentiation for formulations. It is
required where biodegradable packaging becomes a
tangible expression of a pharmaceutical products brand
promise [49]. Nowadays standard organizations such as
the ASTM and ISO have published methods for material
tests on biodegradable plastic materials. The eco friendly
pharmaceutical packaging industry has a positive
future, along with the environmental benefits of using
natural renewable resources. Currently pharmaceutical
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industries are emphasizing more and more on
environmental responsibility so it is an ideal time for
further growth of eco friendly pharmaceutical packaging
materials [9]. Although this is great news for the
environment, it may be somewhat surprising to
pharmaceutical marketers that the benefits from eco
friendly packaging may not stop there.
CONCLUSION
There are a seemingly limitless number of areas
where eco friendly pharmaceutical packaging materials
may find use. Though environmental impact of
packaging is increasingly coming under scrutiny, its
positive contribution towards protecting pharmaceutical
products and hence the environment is the area which
can be explored. Before modifying any one among the
new eco friendly packaging substances, they should
find a standard ground for usage. Organizations
such as ISO and WHO have already laid down norms
for safe and effective packaging materials and
technologies which are to be followed. Therefore,
Pharma sector has to be specific enough while utilizing
such eco friendly materials for packaging. As the
history illustrates, these substances which can be
safely and effectively employed, have been in use since
ages in pharmaceutical industry. The applications of
several aspects of such substances have already
considered biodegradation and biocompatibility as
illustrated in the review. Present day need focuses on the
development of a new trend towards the generation of
environmental friendly packaging material that adds
value to the pharmaceutical product as well as creates a
new outlook into the concept of eco friendly
pharmaceutical packaging material. The target remains
for pharmaceutical companies to focus on the
development of a single such eco friendly packaging
material that bears the combined characteristics of glass,
metal, plastic, paper and rubber.
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