Bringing Pharmaceutical Elastomer Waste into a Circular Economy

As pharmaceutical companies extend their decarbonisation commitments into the supply chain, the environmental footprint of primary packaging, including the elastomeric components in direct contact with injectable drugs, has moved firmly onto the agenda. In this article, Yann Fromont of Aptar Pharma and Clovis Saunier of Moine Recyclage explain why vial stoppers, prefilled syringe plungers, needle shields and other essential sealing components for injectable drug products are difficult to recycle. Vulcanised rubber cannot be remelted and reshaped, and used components enter dedicated healthcare-waste streams. The most accessible opportunity therefore lies upstream, in clean production scrap.

Discover how a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) model guides Aptar Pharma’s reduction strategy, identifying raw materials as the largest contributor to the global warming potential of elastomeric components.

This is where the partnership between Aptar Pharma and Moine Recyclage comes into play. Learn how the BackToMoine® loop addresses this today by keeping clean rubber production scrap in material use, notably as a shock-absorbing underlayer for playgrounds and sports surfaces.

This article offers a tangible example of how a primary packaging partner specialising in elastomer components can support efforts to address Scope 3 emissions through a circular approach to elastomer waste.