From bioplastics to bioproducts

Roberto Valenti, head of materials development at Bormioli Pharma, discusses how the company’s support of a circular economy coupled with its approach to innovation has taken it from simply offering bioplastics to developing bioproducts.

According to European Bioplastics, the association representing the industry in Europe, bioplastics are not just one single material, but comprise a whole family of materials with different properties and applications that comply with one of the following three features: biobased, biodegradable or both.

The term ‘biobased’ means that the material or product is derived — at least partially — from biomass, such as corn, starch, sugar cane, cellulose or other raw materials that are not included in the human or breeding food chain. Biodegradable means that the material can perform a chemical process during which microorganisms convert materials into natural substances, without the need for any artificial additives. Biobased and biodegradable are not, therefore, synonyms, as the biodegradation process does not depend on the resource basis of a material, but rather is linked to its chemical structure. 

Bioplastics represent an answer for the industry to develop a more circular economy, that — according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation — is “restorative and regenerative by design, aiming to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility and value at all times, distinguishing between technical and biological cycles”. With this definition in mind, bioplastics fit into this new economic concept as they help to break away from the linear economy characterised by ‘make, use, dispose of’ in favour of a more circular model based on ‘make, use, reuse, recycle’, contributing to closing the loop in regenerating CO₂ and using renewable raw materials to make everyday products more sustainable. 

Beyond bioplastics

Bormioli Pharma, for example, goes beyond the simple concept of bioplastic, which better suits raw material producers, to ‘bioproduct’, a wider philosophy that it applies to all of its production. This approach provides a new way to create and develop products and value, committing to production and development choices that bring life cycle assessment (LCA) benefits. This tailor-made product development is conducted step-by-step together with the client, supporting and advising them on the most suitable choices that can be applied based on their specific needs and requirements. 

This circular innovation approach is the result of 10-years’ experience in the research of alternative plastic packaging solutions. During this time, the company has been investigating a range of sustainable products, starting with mechanical recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) bottle solutions, which are already used and commercialised within the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical markets. Over the years, the company has looked for new, sustainable innovations, starting from chemical rPET for pharma use, up to the latest breakthrough that the company intends to introduce to its pharma partners later this year: PET containers partially manufactured from monoethylene glycol, (MEG) via the recovery of CO₂ emissions and subsequent gasification and fermentation processes. 

The company’s commitment to guaranteeing ever-lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is based on some fundamental pillars. First, it focuses on European producers to ensure the strictest environmental commitments and to cut GHG emissions derived from logistics; then, its products are specifically engineered to make recycling at the end of the lifecycle easier. Finally, the company constantly support clients with specific tests to combine a circular economy with the strictest safety criteria that the pharmaceutical market requires, making the packaging validation phase simpler. 

Products

As regards specific bioproducts, Bormioli Pharma’s range of containers and accessories are manufactured from different polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA), Green PE, Green PP and BioPET. Biobased solutions are particularly present in Bormioli Pharma’s forLife portfolio — a range of packaging products for nutraceuticals and food supplements. Growing interest is also being seen in the oral drugs market, with the development of pillboxes manufactured from biobased plastics. The company’s dosing solutions (for example, spoons and scoops) made with eco-friendly materials need to follow the usual approval process.

PLA solutions are preferred for pharma packaging accessories such as cups and spoons. Fully degradable within 60 days in industrial compost facilities, these solutions feature a food-grade certification for the EU and the US, as well as excellent physical/mechanical properties. Although recycling regulations vary from country to country, the company aims to contribute to the creation of a ‘seventh recycling chain’ specifically created for compostable plastics that could further facilitate the disposal of these products.

Other concepts manufactured by Bormioli Pharma using bioplastics that have been introduced to players in the pharmaceutical industry are Green PE bottles, Green PE-PP caps and containers and BioPET bottles. The former (Green PE bottles and Green PP caps) are manufactured from up to 100% biobased plastic, and their adoption has no impacts on the packaging lines. The latter are produced from the polymerisation of renewable materials and are entirely recyclable. All of these solutions are compliant with food contact pharma regulations both in the EU and the US.

Open innovation

Bormioli Pharma’s open innovation approach to continuous development of advanced solutions has already guaranteed outstanding results in research fields such as product usability and IoT (internet of Things) integration, through the creation of an open environment and multiplying the company’s R&D efforts thanks to the contributions of external players, such as end users, clients and partners, but also start-ups, research centres, universities, innovation hubs and accelerators. This ecosystem allows the company to understand clients’ needs and new challenges and opportunities. 

The topics of circular economy and innovation are increasingly being addressed; they’re even constituting the focus of strategic, international policies, such as the European Green Deal and Recovery Plan. Bormioli Pharma contributes to promoting sustainability within the pharmaceutical industry as it combines the principle of a circular economy with the strict normative framework required by this specific sector, thus favouring a widespread adoption of biopackaging by markets and patients.