Fulfilling the potential of packaging

The Pharma sector is missing a panacea!

A packaging perspective on the Pharmaceuticals Industry by Valerie Clement - Central Account Director

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The pharmaceutical industry has a difficult job – safety and quality must be balanced against cost and environmental impact, and against rising global prices for everything from raw materials to logistics. On top of this, products must be packed securely to minimise or eliminate product recalls.

According to new global research from DS Smith exploring the attitudes of supply chain and sustainability managers in four major sectors, the pharma sector is the most likely to disregard significant savings across supply chains by focusing instead on buying packaging at minimum cost.

Spend more to save even more

We know that the pharmaceutical sector sees packaging within logistics as a pain-point, with 43% saying this is an area of complexity for them, and 36% saying this is the current focus for them (a figure far higher than for competing sectors).

But procuring at minimum cost is not the answer. Packaging can be used in a linear fashion - as a means to an end, to protect and transport. But it can also be used as an enabler of more efficient and sustainable supply chains.

This approach gives supply chain and sustainability managers the opportunity to reduce costs and carbon footprint at the same time as increasing overall efficiency.

The domino effect

By increasing the efficiency of packaging, it’s possible to pack more into a container, and so ship more units at any one time. This triggers a domino effect of savings.

But sustainability and procurement managers working in pharma already know this. When asked how much of their container space is wasted during transit.

This shows that the inefficiencies inherent in the system are already evident to those tasked with procuring packaging, but they cannot realise these benefits because their hands are tied to lowest cost models.

A material difference

One important thing to remember is that these efficiencies can be achieved without sacrificing quality and safety of products. We give every design a clean bill of health, and there are three unique ways we can ensure quality and safety.

PackRight sessions guarantee the sustainable credentials of any package by integrating it into supply chains so it makes an active difference and can be readily reused or recycled. This also introduces circular economy principles.

Secondly, we utilise advanced technologies in packaging, such as ParceLive, to ensure robust supply chain monitoring. Innovative packaging like this means your goods can be tracked in real-time, so you can follow not just the position, but the condition and security of your items, including factors like temperature and humidity.

Finally, every package is given a physical to make sure it is impervious to drops, impact, shock, crushes and shakes. This may be the panacea you have been looking for.