Nextek has announced its participation in a four-year project aiming to develop circular solutions to reduce waste and carbon emissions in primary and secondary healthcare and pharmaceutical packaging.
The project, Beyond Single-Use Plastics: Processing Innovation Driving Sustainable Pharmaceutical Packaging (SusPack), is coordinated by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and delivered by a consortium of 12 partners including The Naked Pharmacy, the University of Kent, Impact Recycling, CPI and ReVentas.
SusPack hopes to advance sustainable medicines manufacturing in the UK, addressing waste reduction, emissions control, and energy efficiency. The project has been awarded funding under the Innovate UK Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Programme (SMMIP) Grand Challenge.
The initiative supports efforts to accelerate the shift to circular pharmaceutical packaging in line with the NHS Net Zero 2040 commitment. The healthcare and pharmaceutical sector reportedly generates more than 230,000 tonnes of predominantly single-use plastic each year, yet concerns around contamination, regulatory compliance and end-of-life processes have limited progress.
Nextek plans to apply its scCO2-based technology platform to advance the development and adoption of high-performance, smart and sustainable packaging that maintains product safety, performance, and integrity throughout the supply chain.
Nextek founder and CEO, Professor Edward Kosior, said: “Together with our partners, we aim to deliver low-carbon, patient-facing and supply-chain packaging solutions that are safe, compliant, and ready for real-world deployment. By applying our scCO2 technology and a circular design approach, we can reduce waste and carbon emissions while protecting the integrity of the medicines people depend on every day.”
Earlier this year, Nextek collaborated with Coveris to convert post-consumer polyolefin (PE and PP) packaging waste into food-grade recycled resins and films, using Nextek’s COtooCLEAN process. The process uses a waterless cleaning and decontamination process to produce food-grade recycled materials from post-consumer plastic film.
This month Smurfit Westrock officially opened its Horizon packaging facility, said to be the ‘world’s first’ designed exclusively for pharmaceutical patient medication adherence, regulated pharma packaging and clinical trials. The company says the facility will be operated under the Smurfit Westrock Adherence & Clinicals (SWA&C) division with a 170-person team of skilled designers, operators and support functions.
If you liked this story, you might also enjoy:
The ultimate guide to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation in 2025
How are the top brands progressing on packaging sustainability?
Everything you need to know about global packaging sustainability regulation in 2025
The key to increasing the use of reusable packaging in supermarkets
No comments yet