Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1244583
Tablets & Capsules May 2020 19 sustainability requirements where possible, too. While we try to primarily source ingredients in Europe, we have suppliers all over the world, including China and India. It's crucial that we don't make process modifications that jeopardize lean manufacturing or supply chains. We're hopeful that, in the future, we'll see this kind of issue resolved by committed, industry-wide collaboration. We can then collectively support sustainability in all its forms across our industry and change the pharmaceutical land- scape for the better. T&C References 1. sustainablepackaging.org/wp-content/uploads/ 2017/09/Definition-of-Sustainable-Packaging.pdf 2. www.pmmi.org/report/packaging-sustainability- changing-landscape What are challenges to consider when implementing sustainable practices? Ferrante: According to our research, nearly two out of three brand owners cited added costs as the number one reason for slowing down the application of sustain- able packaging solutions [2]. Original equipment man- ufacturers may need to make machine modifications to accommodate sustainable packaging formats and mate- rial changes. Handling new, more-sustainable materials can create increased downtime if the right solutions are not in place, because they break more easily and require equipment to have higher tolerances for material varia- tions. Moving from high-density polyethylene to poly- ethylene terephthalate reduces packaging weight, but lighter-weight bottles, for example, can be more difficult to handle. For any reduction in material weight, machine adjustments need to be considered. Eckardt: Our sustainability initiatives have brought new opportunities to strengthen our cooperative relation- ships with existing customers, but they've also brought some hurdles. For our company and many others, the main challenge lies in implementing sustainability ini- tiatives in parallel with the many other ongoing tasks. Company-wide, one of our most challenging areas is procurement, because we ask our suppliers to meet our Maria Ferrante is senior director, mar- keting and communications for PMMI, a trade association that represents more than 900 North American manufacturers and suppliers involved in packaging and processing. Ferrante is an award-winning writer and editor who has been covering the packaging industry for over 25 years. Prior to her current role, she served as the association's vice president of education and workforce development. PMMI Herndon, VA 571 612 3200 www.pmmi.org Torsten Eckardt, PhD, is head of corpo- rate social responsibility and senior man- ager, project management office and inno- vation at Hermes Pharma, a CDMO and full-service provider specializing in user- friendly dosage forms. Before joining the company, he worked at Salutas Pharma as project manager and site health, safety, and environment officer. He joined Hermes in 2008 as project manager of analytical develop- ment and later served as project manager of R&D prior to his current position. Hermes Pharma, A division of Hermes Arzneimittel Pullach, Germany +49 8979 102 261 www.hermes-pharma.com Jörg Pieper is the chief executive offi- cer at Romaco, a supplier of processing and packaging equipment specializing in engineering technologies for pharmaceu- tical solids. He joined Romaco in 2011 as vice president of customer service and also served as managing director of Romaco Killian from 2013- 2018. He pursues a customer-oriented approach, which he applies to all areas of the company. Romaco Karlsruhe, Germany +49 721 4804 0 www.romaco.com Scott Gar verick is vice president of business development at Phar ma Pack- aging Solutions and its sister company Carton Ser vice, which both supply pri- mary and secondary packaging materials and services. He began his career at the company 34 years ago in the apprenticeship program. In 1996, he was appointed as vice president of business development. He is a member of numerous pharmaceu- tical professional associations as well as a number of civic and social organizations. Pharma Packaging Solutions Clinton, TN 800 533 7744 www.pharmapackagingsolutions.com