From 28 to 30 October 2025, CPhI brought together the global pharmaceutical supply chain with an agenda focused on practices and pathways for a greener industry. The keyword, which could be seen on every stand and heard at every conference, was ‘sustainability’. No longer a reputational corollary, but an integral part of compliance. Even in the pharmaceutical industry, where the guiding star for decades has been safety, seen above all as a natural result of compliance; a bureaucratic vision that the market seems to want to overcome, forcing pharmaceutical companies to put the patient, their living environment and their needs back at the centre of their processes.
Behind the scenes, institutional pressures are also driving change, starting with ESG criteria, which include the assessment of environmental, social and governance impacts applied to the entire value chain, from R&D to production and consumption.
At the same time, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR, EU Reg. 2025/40) has come into force in Europe, setting out horizontal requirements on packaging reduction, recycling and the use of recycled packaging, as well as transparency (and labelling) requirements for all sectors. This new regulation also affects the pharmaceutical industry, and although at the product level it is limited (for now) to secondary packaging, it forces the supply chain to rethink its processes in order to limit its carbon footprint and energy consumption. These are two issues that cannot be taken for granted.
Combining sustainability and compliance in the pharmaceutical industry is possible
One thing became clear in Frankfurt: sustainability is no longer a ‘nice to have’, but a pillar of compliance and transparency towards the market. Sustainability requirements are intertwined with those of quality and GMP and become part of the design brief: demonstrating recyclability, minimisation and transparency throughout the supply chain is now as necessary as ensuring patient safety.
In this scenario, Design for Recycling ceases to be an option and becomes the default: the choice of materials and components must facilitate recycling and provide clear disposal instructions for operators and users. At the same time, minimising packaging in terms of empty space, bulk and weight becomes a guiding principle in design, while always respecting the integrity of the drug.
The centrality of the patient in the design of pharmaceutical packaging
In pharmacies, the success of a drug is not only determined by its active ingredient: it is also determined by the gesture. This is where packaging becomes truly ‘human-centred‘: when it reduces friction, reassures users and simplifies what is often intimidating, such as applying eye drops or ophthalmic ointment. Perfektüp illustrates this shift with a concrete example: the aluminium tube combined with a soft ophthalmic nozzle. The base is rigid to ensure control and stability; the tip is ultra-soft to protect delicate tissues and guide more precise dosing, even in less experienced hands. The real strength lies in the combination: the performance of aluminium (safety, barrier, recyclability) and a design that, although complex, is created in a single production cycle, benefiting quality and scalability. This makes administering medication a natural, repeatable daily gesture. This is the heart of ‘patient-centred design’, which was also the common thread at CPhI 2025: designs that not only protect the medication but also enable its correct use, improving therapeutic adherence and patient autonomy.
Why the aluminium tube remains a classic packaging solution
The aluminium tube meets the Quality & Sustainability by design paradigm: recyclability, minimisation and traceability are combined with quality, safety and ease of use for the patient.
Aluminium provides a total barrier to air and light and allows the right amount of product to be dispensed without direct interaction (e.g. by dipping a finger or spatula into the contents), a feature that protects even the most sensitive formulations: a key advantage for ointments, creams and salves. Above all, aluminium is 100% recyclable and can be recycled indefinitely without losing its original qualities, which makes it highly valued on the market as a ‘green’ material. Those who choose aluminium can therefore combine the safety of a ‘classic’ choice, appreciated by pharmacists, doctors and patients, with respect for the environment, marking an important milestone in ESG criteria (and even exceeding the requirements of the PPWR).
Choosing aluminium tubes for the pharmaceutical sector Perfektüp
Tubettificio Perfektüp has always focused on regulatory requirements, production continuity and sustainability. From material selection to component design, from sterilisation options to tamper-evident systems, to digital document management, each tube is designed to combine formulation protection, patient usability and compliance with current requirements. Here are 4 good reasons to make us your new partner for Pharmaceutical Packaging:
- Experience in the pharmaceutical industry: we have over 90 years of experience working alongside leading international pharmaceutical companies. For the Quality and R&D and Supply Chain teams of pharmaceutical companies, this means having a partner who speaks their language: reliable delivery times, complete documentation, immediate traceability and a customer platform that simplifies processes and makes it easier to maintain document transparency.
- Sterile option: upon request, we are happy to put our customers in touch with the best partners for tube sterilisation, in particular gamma ray sterilisation. Upon request, tubes can be supplied pre-irradiated at 25 kGy and packaged for filling in a sterile environment (double bag and agreed specifications). This operational support speeds up supplier qualification and batch release, simplifying life for QA and production. Tubettificio Perfektüp takes care of all the documentation, simplifying operations.
- Attention to quality and safety: quality by design is supported by an integrated system: ISO 9001, GMP practices for primary packaging, DMF Type III registered with the FDA and in-process controls until release, thanks to the commitment of our internal quality control department. Dedicated solutions are available for tamper-proofing requirements: aluminium foil for dermatological products and, for ophthalmic products, heat-shrinkable PET sleeves (highly recyclable and customisable) instead of PVC. All this is complemented by traceability ‘at the click of a button’: in the Reserved Area, you can retrieve CoAs and irradiation certificates when you need them.
- Focus on sustainability: the Perfektüp group is the ideal partner for pharmaceutical companies that truly want to embrace sustainability, not only because it provides highly recyclable packaging, but also because it bases its production processes on ‘sustainable first’ criteria:
- all Perfektüp production centres are certified ‘zero waste to landfill’;
- we prioritise renewable energy sources (for example, at the Perfektüp tube factory, the entire roof surface is covered with solar panels that contribute to our energy needs);
- we recover production waste and send it for proper recycling (PIR); as Tubettificio Perfektüp, we actively collaborate in Italy with the CIAL Consortium;
- all Perfektüp production centres are certified ‘zero waste to landfill’. (You can learn more about the group’s commitment to sustainability and quality in the interview with The Packaging Post).
Would you like to learn more about why Perfektüp deserves to be your new pharmaceutical packaging partner? Contact us: we will be happy to discuss it with you.
The future of pharmaceutical packaging is near with Perfektüp!
