PDA Letter Article

Are You Ready for Sustainable Packaging?

by Bettine Boltres, PhD, WEST, and Derek Duncan, PhD, LIGHTHOUSE Instruments

On behalf of the Scientific Program Planning Committee, we are proud to invite you to the 2023 PDA Parenteral Packaging Conference to be held 18-19 April in Venice, Italy. The theme of this year’s conference is “Are you ready? Incorporating Safety, User Centricities, and Sustainability into Packaging Innovation.”

The world is undeniably shifting towards a more sustainable and resource-conscious way of acting. The pharmaceutical industry needs to follow this mind shift as well. And we do. Slowly but steadily, more and more initiatives are seen coming up in different companies. Starting with such low-hanging fruit as outer packaging and logistics, we are working our way into the core of our drug products, including primary packaging components.

The distinguished speakers from our industry will present their approach to sustainability at this conference, thus inspiring us on how we can start or move this forward in our own companies.

As with all new topics, there are no real standards for working or measuring success. We are all trying to figure out our own way to contribute, which endorses why this conference is so important to attend. Only by interacting and exchanging ideas can we develop and define best industry practices for approaches to sustainability.

In addition to the conference theme, our recurring core topics of new technologies, materials and techniques will also be addressed. Packaging development for parenteral preparations cannot be discussed as an isolated activity. Instead, a holistic and integrated approach considering relevant development interfaces is inevitable. Drug-container interaction is a topic that always provokes new studies and discoveries.

The packaging conference has traditionally seen a strong mix of representation from large pharmaceutical companies, packaging component vendors, leaders in manufacturing equipment and regulatory experts. This enticing mix of delegates provides a well-rounded conference agenda with top-notch presentations and interactive discussions around the complete pharmaceutical packaging value chain.

Join the PDA packaging community from all over the world—from large and small pharma companies, component suppliers, system suppliers, filling line vendors, analytical service providers, global regulators and start-ups, to name a few.

Ample exchange will be fostered during lunch and coffee breaks, interactive side events and exciting evening networking activities. We have repeatedly seen that virtual meetings cannot replace a good chat over coffee or a meal, and the location of Venice, Italy, provides abundant opportunities to refresh the mind with beautiful scenery!