Haleon joins PA and PulPac's Blister Pack Collective

Consumer health firm Haleon has joined the Blister Pack Collective, an initiative from PA Consulting and Swedish R&D firm PulPac that aims to scale the adoption of fiber-based drug packaging.

PA, an innovation consulting firm, together with PulPac developed the underlying Dry Molded Fiber (DMF) technology that can be used in various forms of packaging, including blister packs for tablets.

DMF technology significantly reduces the use of plastics and water and also cuts carbon emissions – with the DMF production process producing 10 times less CO2 versus wet pulp and plastic containers.

DMF tablet packs could help remove 100,000 tons of plastic medicine packaging every year, according to PA.“We are thrilled to announce renowned global consumer health company Haleon as founding partner of the Blister Pack Collective. A fiber-based blister tablet package offers a versatile, tangible, and scalable alternative for pharmaceutical and healthcare companies,” said Jamie Stone, PulPac design and innovation lead at PA Consulting.

Haleon earlier this year joined PA and PulPac’s Bottle Collective, a similar corporate partnership initiative with a focus on DMF bottles.

Corporate partners in the programs will help pioneer containers that accelerate the transition from PVC packaging as well as ensure their first access to final products.

PA expects the Blister Pack Collective to reach the stages of testing, regulatory development, and production by the end of 2024.

“Haleon intends to take a lead role in creating a future for consumer health packaging which is more sustainable and easier to use by all of our consumers,” Alex James Orchard, head of R&D packaging at Haleon, said. “So, we’re excited to see an initial piece of upstream joint development work kickstarted by Haleon with PA Consulting and PulPac expand and become more impactful through the creation of the Blister Pack Collective.”