In healthcare, it protects the integrity of life-saving medicines and medical devices. In the food sector, it helps maintain freshness, hygiene, and quality, reducing waste across the supply chain. In other professional and emergency settings, PVC packaging ensures that essential goods reach the people who need them in safe, compliant, and resource-efficient ways.
Thanks to its unique combination of clarity, durability, formability, and barrier performance, PVC or vinyl remains a preferred material for many demanding applications. It meets stringent regulatory standards, offers proven performance in real-world conditions, and can be adapted for circular systems through established mechanical recycling and emerging advanced recycling technologies.
While packaging choices are under increasing scrutiny, PVC continues to demonstrate its irreplaceable value in applications where performance, safety, and reliability cannot be compromised.
PVC: The Standard Base Material for Pharmaceutical Blister Packaging
In the pharmaceutical industry, packaging is essential for preserving the integrity of medicines, ensuring their safe delivery to patients, and extending shelf life. In Europe, blister packaging is widely preferred for its protective and functional advantages.
Pharmaceutical blister packs are typically made from rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) films, often coated with polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) and combined with aluminium foil. This structure provides exceptional barrier properties against moisture, oxygen, and contaminants, while PVC’s mechanical strength protects medicines from physical damage during transport and storage. The format also allows precise, unit-dose dispensing without compromising the remaining product.
Towards a Circular Model
Pre-consumer PVC blister waste is already being mechanically recycled in Europe. Building on this, the VinylPlus® PharmPack project is advancing the circularity of rigid PVC films used in pharmaceutical packaging.
The initiative brings together PVC film producers, recyclers, and VinylPlus® to develop scalable solutions for post-consumer blisters, as well as dissolution-based recycling for pre-consumer blisters. The latter process separates PVC from aluminium and PVDC coatings to produce high-purity recyclate suitable for new films.
Pilot-scale tests have already produced pharma-grade blisters containing 30% recycled PVC from dissolution-based recycling, demonstrating the material’s suitability for high-quality applications.
Hospital pharmacy collection trials in Germany further show that post-consumer blisters can also be mechanically recycled efficiently.
PVC Cling Film for Freshness and Waste Reduction
In professional food service and catering, preventing spoilage and maintaining hygiene are critical. PVC cling film has long been valued for its flexibility, secure cling, and breathability — properties that help maintain product quality while reducing waste.
Unlike completely airtight wraps, PVC film allows a controlled passage of oxygen and water vapour. This slows down condensation and microbial growth, extending shelf life and preserving texture and flavour. In turn, this reduces the volume of food discarded due to early spoilage.
Flexible PVC food films contain only plasticisers authorised under the EU Food Contact Materials (FCM) regulation. These additives provide flexibility and performance even at low temperatures. When used as intended, PVC films meet strict safety standards and help protect food against contamination. By keeping food fresh for longer, they also contribute to reducing food waste and making better use of resources.
PVC Packaging Protects Disposable Syringes and Medical Devices
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is widely used in the packaging of disposable syringes and a variety of medical devices, where safety, sterility, and regulatory compliance are essential. Rigid PVC films offer the mechanical strength and clarity needed to protect devices during storage and transport, while providing an effective barrier against moisture, oxygen, and contaminants.
A key advantage of rigid PVC in this application is its compatibility with radiation sterilisation methods, such as gamma or electron-beam sterilisation. These techniques are commonly used in healthcare manufacturing to ensure sterility without compromising the integrity or performance of the packaging or its contents.
From hospital wards to remote healthcare facilities, PVC packaging ensures that critical medical devices reach users in a safe, sterile, and ready-to-use condition. Its proven performance and adaptability to various sterilisation processes make it a trusted material across the global healthcare supply chain.
PVC Packaging for Emergency Relief and Humanitarian Aid
In disaster relief and humanitarian aid, reliable packaging can make the difference between life-saving supplies reaching those in need or being compromised along the way. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) packaging is widely used for its durability, barrier performance, and compliance with strict international transport regulations.
PVC films and containers protect a wide range of critical items, including vaccines, sterilised medical kits, water purification tablets, and emergency food rations. The material’s resistance to moisture, oxygen, and physical damage ensures that contents remain safe and effective, even when transported through extreme climates or challenging logistical routes.
From conflict zones to areas affected by natural disasters, PVC packaging provides the robustness, safety, and reliability required to support rapid response efforts. Its proven performance and adaptability make it a trusted choice for organisations delivering humanitarian assistance worldwide.