13 Nov 2025 Business Talk – Inside the change: sustainability in pharmaceutical packaging

How can a label, as an integral part of packaging, contribute to the ongoing sustainable transformation?

On Tuesday 11 November, Eurolabel held a Business Talk entitled “Inside the change: sustainability in pharmaceutical packaging”, a meeting to explore the dynamics of sustainability applied to packaging, focusing on regulatory frameworks and practical tools.

The event was opened by Elisabetta Brambilla, President of Eurolabel, and brought together professionals from the pharmaceutical, packaging and sustainability worlds to explore the challenges, opportunities and innovations that are transforming the sector.

Talks and Speakers

• Packaging: future challenges considering new European regulations (PPWR, EUDR, ESG). The impact on the pharmaceutical sector. | Italo Vailati – Vice General Manager of Assografici and Secretary of the Giflex, Gipea and Gitac groups

The first session outlined the main European regulations currently in force or upcoming — from the PPWR to the EUDR Regulation, up to the ESG directives, the Circular Economy Act and the Green Claims Directive. Italo Vailati highlighted how compliance and traceability are becoming strategic elements for the pharmaceutical sector’s competitiveness. He then pointed out that labels will also have to meet increasingly demanding criteria in terms of recyclability, recycled content and environmental transparency.

• Sustainability, regulations and innovation: optimising pharmaceutical packaging with concrete results. | Domenico Tafuri – Co-founder of Acura Eco

This session emphasised the need to integrate sustainability, safety and usability right from the initial stages, analysing common myths and mistakes. Through collaboration between companies, suppliers and institutions, it is possible to transform regulatory compliance into a tool for concrete innovation. Sustainability, as Domenico Tafuri emphasised, “is not something you declare, it is something you demonstrate” through measurable data, LCA analysis and consistent choices throughout the supply chain.

• The future of pharmaceutical labels: sustainable and verified innovations. | Fabrizio Cotini – Technical Sales Manager at Avery Dennison

The final session explored the activities of AD Procerta, an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory for testing and qualifying label materials. Fabrizio Cotini then presented sustainable labelling solutions for the pharmaceutical sector: materials with certified recycled content, thin films to reduce consumption and mono-material solutions that facilitate recycling. In addition, Avery Dennison’s Carbon Footprint Tool enables users to measure and compare the environmental impact of materials.

This Business Talk confirmed Eurolabel’s commitment to promoting a culture of concrete and shared sustainability based on dialogue, transparency and innovation.
In this process, the label is not just a technical component of packaging, but a tangible sign of the change taking place: a vehicle for responsibility and measurability, capable of translating sustainability into verifiable innovation.