Recyclable Paper Blister Wins German Packaging Award

“Blister meets Paper,” developed in partnership with Syntegon and Huhtamaki, offers an alternative to plastic blisters for tablets and capsules. The German Packaging Institute awarded Syntegon with the German Packaging Award this summer in the “Sustainability” category for the innovation.

“While eco-friendly and health-conscious customers can already find sustainable packaging solutions for a wide range of products, an environmentally friendly alternative for push-through packaging for tablets and capsules was not available to date,” Torsten Sauer, sustainability project manager at Syntegon, explains. Seeking to change this, the paper-based blisters are particularly suited for nutraceuticals. In the submitted version, each blister has seven cavities for one tablet per weekday.

Read about a Stream 1 blister recyclable blister.

The companies worked to form the paper in a way that tablets in cavities of three to four millimeters can push through the barrier layers without breaking.Matthias Klauser, sustainability expert at Syntegon, says, “Thanks to the combination of our TPU 1000 form, fill and seal machine for paper packaging, the 3D formable FibreForm® paper from BillerudKorsnäs, and the sealable barrier coating from Huhtamaki, we have succeeded in forming paper with the geometry required for tablets in cavities of three to four millimeters,” so the tablets can push through the barrier layers without breaking. They will be available for tablets six to ten millimeters in diameter to package larger tablets such as pain killers in the future. Barrier properties are comparable to traditional blisters composed of mono-PVC or aluminum.

The paper blister can be printed on both sides, and both base and lidding are recyclable. A Euro hole can be punched in the upper area of the blister, which conserves packaging material compared to conventional blisters in folding cartons. “This offers many opportunities for a successful product presentation that emphasizes the environmental friendliness of the product. Manufacturers can also add Braille to the blisters or print a QR code for further information. The latter saves on the package insert and the cardboard outer packaging,” Sauer explains. “The result is a sophisticated all-round packaging concept for nutraceuticals that support customers in taking care of both their health and the environment.”

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