Mono-Material Packaging: Advancing Sustainability in Medical Devices

Packaging heavy and unevenly weighted medical devices has long required multi-material structures to ensure strength, sterility, and long shelf life. While effective, these designs complicate recycling and add to healthcare’s mixed plastic waste. Growing sustainability goals are now driving interest in mono-material packaging systems.

By pairing PET-based films with PET trays, manufacturers can create packaging that maintains seal strength, resists stress during transport, and remains compatible with sterilization—all while simplifying recyclability. Since hospitals often discard top and bottom webs together, using one polymer family ensures the package is recycle-ready without altering clinical workflows.

Recent advances in resin formulations and forming technologies have expanded the performance capabilities of mono-materials, making them a viable option for complex devices once thought impractical. With regulatory pushes like the EU’s PPWR and progress in advanced recycling, mono-material packaging is emerging as a future-ready solution, balancing patient safety, product performance, and sustainability.

29-08-2025