Biodegradable packaging solutions

Category

Sustainability 

Description

Sanofi's Global Packaging Design & Sustainability team is looking for biodegradable packaging solutions (flexible, extruded, or injection stretch blow moulding (ISBM) bottles, formed fill and seal vials, tubes) to use for its consumer healthcare products. This challenge will empower Sanofi's environmental commitments on circularity & plastic reduction which meets consumer needs and preserves the planet.

Background

Biodegradable packaging refers to packaging materials that are made from renewable bio-based sources such as biomass feedstocks, plant extracts, agriculture waste, vegetable oils, seaweeds, or mycelium. They can be melted and remoulded into the desired shape to replace conventionally used thermoplastics. They often have low barrier protection and are very sensitive to water ingression. At end-of-life, they are generally not recyclable and may disturb the existing recycling streams. Thus, their non fossil origin, reduced carbon footprint & life cycle assessment are interesting solutions to explore.

Key Success Criteria

Must-have requirements

• Should be biodegradable, dissolvable, or home compostable (can be broken down by naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi with no need for a specific environment to degrade)
• Should be compatible with recycling streams (can be collected with other packaging without disturbing existing recycling streams)
• Be made from biobased or renewable resources (e.g.: avoid the combination with fossil sourced materials)
• Have a better life-cycle assessment (LCA) than conventional solutions
• Achieve required healthcare product protection (e.g.: barrier properties: water, light, oxygen transmission)
• Compatible with existing, traditional packing/filling systems (using conventional technologies without requiring additional investments)
• Should be Food-grade certified

Preferred Requirements

• Recyclable in existing recycling streams
• Cost-effective

Target Group

N/A

Approaches not of interest

• Oxo-degradable or so-called Oxo-biodegradable materials which are conventional thermoplastic made with additive-technology that accelerates plastic fragmentation
• Compostable materials which degrade only at industrial composting facility with certain standard conditions of temperature & microorganisms