The Berry Healthcare Formatec, German facility has achieved International Sustainability and Carbon Certificate (ISCC) Plus accreditation. This enables the site to sell to healthcare customers ISCC Plus certified packaging and plastic components that contribute to a circular economy approach based on advanced recycling and mass balance.
The certification of the Berry Formatec factory follows that of Berry’s other Healthcare facilities in Europe and India, giving both global and local customers greater access to this advanced material.
ISCC is a globally applicable sustainability certification system, covering all sustainable feedstocks, including agricultural and forestry biomass, circular materials and renewables, based on advanced recycling mass balance. Mass balance is an accepted and certified protocol that documents and tracks recycled content from supplier through to final delivery to customers.
The certification of the German facility is in line with the Ellen MacArthur foundation’s view that Mass Balance is an important element in the move to a circular economy. With this certification, customers of the two facilities can attest to their usage of certified circular polymers* throughout, from the initial feedstock, through advanced recycling process and manufacturing of the polymers, to conversion by Berry Healthcare into the final product. Strict traceability and verification are carried out by independent third-party auditors at each stage of the manufacturing process.
The availability of this advanced recycling resin in both circular PP and PE enables the Berry Healthcare Formatec site to help meet customer requirements for more sustainable products and packaging, offering a range of solutions for medical devices containing a high percentage of recycled material, from 30% to 100% and in items where this has previously been difficult to achieve.
This supports customers’ own sustainability commitments and helps them meet the requirements of forthcoming legislation, including the EU Plastic Packaging Levy and the UK’s Plastic Packaging Tax. Importantly, because the advanced recycled resin has the same properties as virgin material, there is no need for any qualification tests.
“This is an important achievement that underlines the importance of sustainability in all our product development and our commitment to help our customers meet and exceed their sustainability goals,” commented Markus Thau, Managing Director, Berry Formatec.
The certification of the Berry Formatec is fully aligned with Berry’s Impact 2025 sustainability strategy. This seeks to work with customers to develop solutions that minimise a product’s environmental impact, focusing on areas such as enhancing its recyclability and the increasing incorporation of post-consumer recycled (PCR) resin, along with Berry’s own commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2025 versus the company’s 2016 baseline.
Berry Healthcare Formatec is a market leader in the design and production of actuators and mechanical dose indicators, including pressurized metered dose devices, single dose monohalers, and dry powder inhalers, with more than two billion unites produced and sold since 1970. The factory supplies the Healthcare, Pharmaceutical, Animal Health and Diagnostic markets.
Berry Formatec is also currently developing a range of digitally connected pMDIs. This follows the project launch earlier this year by sister site Plastiape of the RS01X™ single dose DPI with built-in sensors and digital capabilities that tracks inhaler use and connects to the companion Respiro™ app from Amiko Digital Health, which provides personalised guidance to improve adherence and inhaler technique.
