A Look at How Healthcare Packaging Solutions Expert Airnov Continues to Pioneer Sustainable Products and Develop Sustainable Working Practices Across its Business
Sustainability is a core priority for almost all packaging producers, including those which support the healthcare sector. As the world transitions towards a more circular way of operating, both in a personal and business sense, the ability to make sustainable enhancements down to the very last detail matters more and more. At Airnov, a pioneer of innovative solutions for the healthcare and medical packaging sectors, sustainability, and circularity underpin all of its business activities. Here, we will explore some of the company’s latest products and initiatives that are helping to enhance its environmental credentials and those of its customers.
Part 1 – Developing Sustainable Products
The most recent sustainable-oriented product line released by Airnov is HAT-B. A highly innovative vial, the product line has been developed and produced for applications in the pharmaceutical, diagnostic and nutraceutical markets are available in two sizes and is compatible with existing filling lines. Furthermore, they contain an adjustable desiccant quantity and incorporate versatile sorbent materials to fit stability requirements – these include silica gel and molecular sieve. HAT-B carries numerous sustainable features designed to limit carbon footprint, the most obvious and impactful being the fact it uses an optimised/reduced amount of plastic. DRICARDTM, meanwhile, is a flat moisture absorber comprised of calcium chloride desiccant laminated between film layers. As with desiccant packets, DRICARD is designed to maintain a dry package environment to keep nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and diagnostics safe from the damaging effects of moisture. Airnov has recently developed a new, more sustainable version that provides twice the capacity in the same size card, uses less plastic, and is printed with high-contrast blue ink on a white background, meaning it requires 80% less ink to produce than the current orange DRICARD. As with HAT-B, performance has not been compromised as a result of sustainability gains. On the contrary, it has actually been improved. For example, its double thickness provides twice the moisture absorption capacity as its predecessor, all the while maintaining the same overall size and surface.
Furthermore, the rigid structure of the card allows high-speed automatic insertion by card dispensers or pick-and-place systems, while its flat profile is designed for use in applications that require desiccation in small and narrow packaging spaces. The blue-on-white printing is high-contrast and high-visibility where it is essential to minimise confusion with the end product. The new DRICARD is available in a variety of standard sizes and can be tailored to custom sizes if required. It is also US FDA-compliant for use in nutraceutical and pharma applications. Also, recently off the Airnov innovation production line is its new Light 27mm desiccant stopper, which was showcased in May of this year to industry stakeholders at the Pharmapack conference in Paris, France. Fitted with tamper-evident security and easy-to-open features, this solution uses fewer raw materials and is made with a new sustainable polymer – two key features which are helping customers to reduce their carbon footprints. New variations of Airnov’s laser-marked canisters have also been launched. Specifically, the company has released 2g and 3g sizes to round out the product line. These canisters, which require fewer raw materials to make, use laser technology to create visible marks on the canister body without the use of inks, varnishes, adhesives, and other extraneous materials. This makes for a more sustainable product with less risk of contamination.
