Micro+ Futurity™: Circularity in Airless Drug Dispensing

Multidose Systems, Airless
Pharmaceutical, Dermal, Oral Liquid

Micro+ Futurity logo on white background


Fully Recyclable Monomaterial Airless+ Dispensers


Micro+ Futurity™ takes our Airless+ dispensers to the next level of sustainability for dermal drug delivery. Micro+ Futurity™ reliably delivers semi-solid formulations in virtually all positions with efficient dispensing for minimal product waste.

Most importantly, Aptar Pharma’s Micro+ Futurity™ dispensing system achieves full recyclability through its monomaterial construction, consisting entirely of medical grade polyethylene (PE) resin. Our Micro+ Futurity™ dispensing system continues to provides industry leading product protection, drug delivery dosing performance and supports product circularity through ease of recycling, making it the newest member of the Aptar Pharma Futurity™ family.

White polyethylene Micro+ Futurity recyclable monomaterial semi-solid dispenser with Futurity label by Aptar Pharma
White polyethylene Micro+ Futurity recyclable monomaterial semi-solid dispenser with Futurity label by Aptar Pharma
Logo of Micro+ Futurity recyclable monomaterial semi-solid dispenser with Futurity label by Aptar Pharma

Woman with long brown hair seated in chair dispenses dermal cream on elbow from Aptar Airless+ drug delivery system

Micro+  Futurity™:  Enabling Circularity

Enhanced recyclability in everyday products is top of mind for consumers and pharmaceutical manufacturers alike. Aptar Pharma’s Micro+  Futurity™ drug delivery system was designed to make recycling easy, and marks our first Airless dispensing system that can be fully recycled in existing recycling streams without disassembly or component separation.

The monomaterial construction of the Micro+  Futurity™ dispensing system uses only medical grade polyethylene (PE) so that it meets today’s regulatory requirements for primary packaging of medicines that are applied to the skin. And just like Aptar Pharma’s renowned Micro+ dispensing system, the fully recyclable Micro+  Futurity™ airless system delivers all of the same product protection and dispensing performance you require from a dermal drug delivery system. These combined features not only advance drug delivery systems, but also demonstrate that the Micro+  Futurity™ supports the circularity needed for a better environment.

Diagram of white Aptar Micro+ Futurity PE components beside the cyclos-HTP seal for completely recyclable.

Micro+:  Certified Recyclability

The monomaterial Micro+  Futurity™ was specifically designed for circularity with its all polyethylene (PE) construction. This smart design earned Micro+  Futurity™ the highest recyclability rating possible from cyclos-HTP, achieving “Class AAA+” and 100% “completely recyclable” classifications. Cyclos-HTP is an independent German ratings organization that assesses product packaging recyclability for European countries and provides classifications for individual drug delivery or packaging systems with existing recycling streams.

Using Aptar’s proprietary Eco-Design tools is now required for the development of all new products at Aptar Pharma, and Micro+  Futurity™ was no exception. These strategic tools incorporate Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) analysis that consider the product’s environmental impact throughout its entire lifecycle. The calculation of CO2 emission levels, recyclability and circularity are key measures that help guide Aptar Pharma towards a more circular approach. Aptar Pharma has embraced a systemic approach to incorporating sustainability and recyclability considerations into the design of all of our products, and validates our successes through the independent classifications received from organizations like cyclos-HTP.

White recyclable Aptar Pharma Micro+ Futurity dispenser used by man to dispense cream formulation onto leg in grass field.

Micro+  Futurity™:  Protecting your Product

All of our Airless+ dermal drug delivery systems provide excellent product protection. Aptar Pharma’s renowned Airless+ technology protects even the most sensitive or fragile formulations from exposure to air or environmental influences. Micro+  Futurity™ offers an efficient and reliable dispensing capability that makes gel or lotion content available to consumers to virtually the last drop. This is of particular importance for high-value or drug containing products.

Patients using the Micro+  Futurity™ dispensing systems do not have to struggle to squeeze out the last remaining drops of product like they would with common tube packaging. The emptied Micro+  Futurity™ packaging system can be placed directly into existing recycling systems with no additional requirement for disassembly or separation of any of the components. Aptar Pharma designed recycling convenience into the Micro+  Futurity™ Airless drug delivery system.

Certified Mass Balance Approach

Renewable or Circular Feedstock Use

Aptar Pharma continuously strives to increase the circularity of its products and processes. One initiative that is making a measurable difference at Aptar is the availability of renewable or circular feedstock options.

At Aptar’s ISCC PLUS certified Villingen site in Germany, where the Airless+ dispensing systems are manufactured, Aptar has implemented a mass balance approach, which makes the documented and accountable use of renewable or circular feedstocks possible. The use of renewable or circular feedstocks reduces the amount of virgin fossil plastics used and contributes to a more circular economy.

Woman seated on green grass dispensing white cream from Aptar Pharma Micro+ Futurity device on leg.

Leaders in Airless+ Dispensing Systems

Aptar Pharma are proven leaders in Airless drug delivery technologies as demonstrated by the number of prescription (Rx) drug references in regulated markets using the Airless+ technology. Airless+ technology represents a single source solution for the challenges associated with delivering precise and reliable semi-solid dispensing performance in increasingly regulated markets.

In fact, Aptar Pharma’s Airless+ systems were shown to be the “preferred dispensing solution” over common tubes in a recent Aptar international consumer study in 2023. Respondents clearly indicated that they preferred Aptar’s Airless+ systems because they were clean and convenient to use, and their efficient dispensing technology reduced overall formulation content waste, especially important for high-value products.

The high evacuation rate of drug product from the device also means consumers can simply place the empty device directly into recycling streams without any need to disassemble or prepare the device for recycling, which makes recycling easier and increases the proportion of devices that will be successfully recycled. With differentiated looks and performance, Aptar Pharma’s Airless+ drug delivery systems stand out in a crowded market. We’re driven to innovate and improve the recyclability of our products, which is fully supported by the consumers who use them and continue to demand more sustainable options for semi-solid medication dispensing systems.

Details on Aptar Pharma’s Micro+  Futurity™ Recyclable Dispensing System

The Micro+  Futurity™ system is a monomaterial Airless drug delivery system with the pump made of only medical grade polyethylene (PE).
Renewable feedstock material options are available upon request.

Micro+  Futurity™ containers are currently available in 30 and 50ml fill volumes. Using Aptar Pharma’s piston pre-positioning service, clients can adapt pumps to their individual filling needs. Our technical support teams help to identify and characterize the optimal Airless+ drug delivery solution, that best matches for your project’s needs.

The Micro+  Futurity™ pump is available with dose volumes of 240µl, 300µl and 500µl per actuation.

Aptar Pharma’s experienced analysts and well-equipped laboratory offer a broad range of analytical tests to support the performance and compatibility of your semi-solid formulation using the Micro+  Futurity™ system.

Aptar Pharma’s Regulatory Team provides customers with superior regulatory support at each stage of development, through to market approval for drug products.

Aptar Pharma is dedicated to supporting customers with extensive technical support regarding device assembly and filling:

- Advising on bulk preparation and filling procedures to avoid inconsistent dosing
- Determination of a pre-set piston position in combination with clients’ project requirements, to enable rapid priming
- Long-term relationship with partners for industrial filling worldwide

Futurity™:  Our Sustainable
Solutions Platform

 

Green and blue Aptar Futurity brand graphic showing sustainable Futurity products and services around Futurity logo.

Our Futurity™ family of products represents more than just products or services with sustainability promises. Aptar Pharma assesses its products by five key criteria including recyclability, emissions, weight reduction, reusable/refillable products, and recycled content to determine if a product meets the standards required to bear the Futurity™ name.

Aptar also considers recyclability classifications provided by external organizations such as cyclos-HTP. Our scientists and engineers attempt to eliminate recycling disruptors such as metals and aim to create monomaterial solutions that can conveniently be fed into existing recycling streams. Some current members of the Futurity™ family include our Advanced Preservative Free (APF) nasal spray pumpsAirless+ dispensersOphthalmic Squeeze Dispensers (OSD)Bag on Valve (BOV) technologies and Proventu monomaterial tube closures, all of which contribute to meeting Aptar’s sustainability objectives.

The acceptance criteria for Futurity™ will continue to evolve and advance as they must always reflect the current regulatory landscape, manufacturing technologies and recycling processes. Futurity™ means that Aptar is looking ahead to future regulations, future technologies and future realities in our world with the goal providing products with enhanced sustainability, recyclability and circularity.

 

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