Wasdell Group has expanded its business with the acquisition of medical device and pharmaceutical sectors packaging supplier Planned Packaging & Planned Packaging Films (PPF).

With more than 40 years of experience, Planned Packaging caters to medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies in the UK, Europe and the Americas.

The addition of PPF will transform Wasdell into a fully integrated supplier. The company has a client base within the life science and medical device sector.

Wasdell Group CEO Vincent Dunne said: “The acquisition of PPF allows the Wasdell Group to vertically integrate into a key commodity area, safeguarding supplies but also expanding our capabilities and product and service offerings.”

Planned Packaging’s products, which include pre-made easy peel pouches, high barrier foil films and semi rigid materials for processing through thermoforming lines, comply with ISO 11607 / MDR requirements.

Additionally, the company provides custom print services and offers advice on suitable packaging solution to its customers.

The company is also making new 100% recyclable and biodegradable options available. All of Planned Packaging’s products are produced in an ISO 8 cleanroom environment.

Consumer health products technologies solution provider Catalent has completed the biologics packaging expansion at its Bloomington facility in Indiana, US.

The company’s 875,000ft² (266,700m²) facility in Bloomington specialises in sterile formulation and extensive bio-manufacturing and drug product fill/finish capacity in liquid and lyophilised vials, prefilled syringes and cartridges.

The $14m expansion covers the addition of 15,000ft² (4752m²) packaging infrastructure to the biologics and sterile manufacturing site.

It also includes five new packaging suites and a new quality control laboratory.

The company’s strategic partnerships have led to the introduction of new technologies and integrated capabilities such as an Optima combination syringe assembly machine, an automated Mikron auto-injector assembly machine and a Dividella NeoTOP x (NTX) top-load cartoner with both semi-automated and fully automated configurations.

All three high-speed lines offer quick and flexible packaging solutions to customers for vials, syringes, and devices with no glass-to-glass contact.

Biologics North America region president Mike Riley said: “The completion of this expansion marks a major milestone for our late-stage and commercial customers, allowing Catalent to focus on more complex device assembly and packaging needs for biologic products at higher volumes.

“This state-of-the-art equipment adds to our growing network of global packaging capabilities alongside our Brussels, Belgium and Anagni, Italy drug product manufacturing sites.”

Headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, Catalent has more than 40 facilities. In fiscal year 2019, it reported over $2.5bn in annual revenue.

Toys and consumer products manufacturer Zuru has decided to remove approximately 800 tonnes of single-use plastic from its Bunch O Balloons brand.

The move is part of the company’s commitment to enhance its environmental social responsibility.

Under this initiative, all Bunch O Balloons plastic stems and caps will be manufactured using 100% fully certified and traceable post-consumer-recycled plastic. The brand will also use material that has made its way into the market and has been recycled and sourced by Zuru.

The programme will allow the recycling of all elements of their product, irrespective of whether regulations are in place or not.

Zuru chief operating officer Anna Mowbray said: “The Bunch O Balloons programme showcases our all-in commitment to a full-circle approach to sustainability.

“We are changing to 100% recycled plastic in our manufacturing, essentially giving it a new life, rather than seeing it end up in landfills and the ocean, as well as providing consumers easy opportunities to recycle after use.”

Meanwhile, Zuru’s partnership with TerraCycle will allow customers to ship Bunch O Balloons parts, balloon pieces and foil bag packaging for free.

Consumer packaging company Graphic Packaging has revealed plans to close its White Pigeon, Michigan coated recycled board (CRB) mill and PM1 containerboard machine in West Monroe, Louisiana.

The decision was revealed as part of the company’s strategic actions and announcements in its first-quarter 2020 results.

The closure of the 70,000 tonne CRB mill at White Pigeon is due to the company’s overall CRB mill network’s operating strength and a new CRB supply agreement with Greif.

Earlier this month, Graphic Packaging Holding Company (GPHC) acquired industrial packaging solutions provider Greif for $85m.

The closure of the 120,000 tonne per annum PM1 containerboard machine is based on the company’s confidence in its CUK global beverage packaging platform. Closure of these two facilities will be effective from 30 June 2020.

Additionally, the company has deferred the planned maintenance outage at the West Monroe, Louisiana mill. It was originally scheduled to take place in the second quarter and has now been delayed to the third quarter.

Consumer dispensing and drug delivery solutions provider AptarGroup and digital respiratory therapeutics company Sonmol have entered a partnership to develop a digital therapies and services platform for respiratory diseases.

Under the partnership, Aptar Pharma and Sonmol will initially emphasise on combining connected drug delivery devices and the digital platform for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

This initiative will enhance Aptar’s digital health operation in Asia. It will bring together Aptar Pharma’s expertise in connected drug delivery device development, innovation and quality manufacturing, and Sonmol’s connected devices, data platform and patient management services.

Aptar president and CEO Stephan Tanda said: “We are pleased to partner with Sonmol to improve health outcomes by combining Aptar’s breadth of regulatory experience, quality focus and connected drug delivery device innovations with Sonmol’s patient adherence platform.”

This partnership will also expand Sonmol’s platform services to enable remote patient monitoring and improve patient and physician interactions.

Sonmol CEO Luffy Lv said: “Collaborating with Aptar will help us expand and speed up clinical application and commercialisation of Sonmol’s innovative products. I look forward to more in-depth and innovative exploration and collaboration between Aptar and Sonmol in the field of drug and disease digital management in China and worldwide.”

Additionally, Aptar Pharma and Sonmol will develop an ecosystem of connected healthcare devices and services for China and other markets.

Plastic additive manufacturer BASF and digital technology solutions provider Security Matters have partnered to speed up the process of plastic's circular economy.

Under this binding joint development agreement, the partners will develop solutions to trace plastics from production to distribution and circularity.

Security Matters will offer its track-and-trace solution, which is capable of marking physical objects with an unalterable chemical-based barcode, while also linking them to a digital twin.

The barcode, which endures manufacturing and recycling processes, gathers information that could prove useful in plastic loop closure.

Security Matters founder and CEO Haggai Alon said: “This collaboration is the first step in demonstrating how our technology can be used in a circular application.

“By providing transparency of product lifecycles, we can create an entire technology-driven ecosystem that promotes circularity and sustainability for plastics.”

BASF will contribute its experience in plastic additives, regulatory know-how and understanding of the plastics value chain.

German company Henkel has unveiled its new Persil 4in1 DISCS detergent packaging, which now contains 50% post-consumer recycled polypropylene (r-PP) obtained from discarded household plastics.

The cardboard-plastic packaging produced by Greiner Packaging is known as ‘K3’ and is sustainable.

The use of cardboard and plastic combination has reduced plastic content in the packaging by more than 40% compared to the previous packaging.

Greiner Packaging international project manager Andreas Auinger said: “By using r-PP, we’re taking another important step forward in terms of the sustainability of our cardboard-plastic packaging materials. Thanks to our innovative two-layer process, we’re meeting the highest standards of sustainability while also making sure that the packaging’s attractive appearance is retained.”

Henkel uses sustainable containers in its detergent capsule products, including its Persil 4in1 Discs.

The solution can be leveraged for packaging powdered foods, such as  baby formula, cocoa and salt.

It can also serve as an alternate for tube-shaped packaging or pouches like those used for pet food and coated cardboard solutions.

French circular economy for plastic solution provider Carbios has developed a novel enzyme, which has the capability to break down plastic for recycling.

The development was described in an article entitled ‘An engineered PET-depolymerase to break down and recycle plastic bottles’ published in the scientific journal Nature.

According to scientists at Carbios and the company’s academic partner the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute (TBI), the enzyme can biologically depolymerise polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste.

Carbios chief scientific officer and co-author of the Nature article professor Alain Marty said: “I am very proud that Nature, one of the most highly respected scientific journals in the world, has validated the quality of the research led by Carbios and TBI laboratory scientists in developing a PET recycling enzyme and a revolutionary process.

“The results obtained confirm the industrial and commercial potential of the Company’s proprietary process, which will be tested in 2021 in our demonstration plant in the heart of the French Chemical Valley, near Lyon.”

The company’s proprietary process supports a circular economy by also allowing the waste to be converted and recycled into new bottles.

The new technology also enables the recycling of PET fibres.