The Future of Circular Packaging – Pharmaceutical

Here at Echo, we like to look ahead to the future of brands as part of our Future Visioning offer. Where will brands be in ten, twenty years from now and what is the next step for them in a world that is starting to prioritise sustainable solutions. Recently, France implemented a zero waste policy to phase out single-use plastics by 2040, in an attempt to boost a circular economy. With mounting consumer pressure we predict it won’t be long until other governments and businesses follow suit.

That said, few brands are currently harnessing the opportunities that come with investing in durable packaging systems and are choosing to use off-the-shelf solutions instead. These solutions rarely offer improved user experiences and are sub-optimal for a circular supply chain, nor do they differentiate the brand. The result is few compelling reasons for consumer adoption.

We passionately believe that every category can benefit from circular systems: better experiences, solving usability issues, more compelling rituals and delivering more distinct, on brand equities are just some of the untapped opportunities. We can nudge consumer change as the benefits are clear to see over and above being simply more sustainable.

The pharmaceutical industry has used the same disposable, single use blister and bottle packaging for decades, with all their ubiquity and usability issues. Supplement services are the future, creating loyalty through personalised vitamin formulas coupled with circular packaging that can offer a multitude of benefits: prompts for regular use and dosing features through to the same aesthetic caché enjoyed by sip cups and durable water bottles.

By considering the complete lifecycle, our 3D team created designs in the Pharmaceutical category:

To read more about Echo’s expertise on Sustainable Materials, click here.