Plastic Packaging for the Healthcare Industry
11 Dec 2016
Plastic as a packaging material for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries has an essential role to play for a number of reasons.
Firstly, plastic is used to seal products and to protect them from damage or contamination and to reduce the risk of items being tampered with. It also keeps products from getting spoiled, which may reduce their effectiveness or safety. This is imperative where health products or medicines are concerned. Primary packaging made from plastic includes items such as labels, bottles, tubes, vials, syringes, caps and inhalers.
Secondly, plastic is used to protect healthcare and pharmaceutical products as secondary packaging. Secondary packaging consists of items such as plastic crates, plastic pallets, cartons and corrugated shippers that are used to ship or transport health-related products.
Why Plastic Pallets Are Used in Health-Related Industries
Plastic crates and pallets make ideal secondary packaging materials to transport medical supplies. This is because plastic is hygienic, sturdy and durable, so products will be kept protected and have a reduced risk of getting damaged, contaminated or tampered with. Plastic as a transport material is also very versatile and adaptable and has proven to be highly cost-effective. Plastic containers can also be re-used for transportation and shipping, making them an eco-friendly option.
How Has Plastic Packaging Improved the Pharmaceutical Market?
The pharmaceutical market has experienced global growth in recent years. This is partly fuelled by many of us taking more of an interest in health care products but also as a consequence of an ageing population, where demand for products in this sector has risen. The functional necessities for packaging products in the healthcare sector have also been a driver in the worldwide plastic healthcare packaging market.
The many positive attributes of plastic have ensured it’s the ideal packaging material for the pharmaceutical industry, both as a primary and secondary material. This has helped to improve the healthcare sector, making products safer and more reliable when being shipped from one place to another. It has allowed movement of products on a global scale, particularly to emerging countries such as India and China, but it has also enabled medical supplies to be segmented by industry and regions. This packaging can help to meet the demands of an ageing population and those with an increasing interest in health, fuelled by higher incomes and standards of living. It can encourage innovation and new ways of storing products safely and reliably.