Pharmapack 2026: Industry experts talk pharma

Packaging Insights

European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer spoke to various industry experts about Pharmapack Europe and current trends in pharma packaging.

Lucy Baldwin, head of research & strategy, Ensera Design

What’s the biggest challenge you’re currently facing in pharmaceutical packaging that isn’t being talked about enough?

One of the biggest challenges we see, yet rarely hear enough about, is striking the right balance between compliance and usability. Pharmaceutical packaging has to tick every regulatory box, but it also needs to work for real people in real-world scenarios. That means designing for inclusivity, accessibility, and ease of use without compromising safety or compliance. Then there’s sustainability. Everyone talks about it, but making it happen is a different story. True impact often requires a complete rethink of business models and significant investment in new technologies and processes. It’s not just about swapping materials, it’s about creating solutions that benefit the user, meet environmental goals, and still drive profitability for our clients. That’s a tough equation to solve, but it’s where the industry needs to focus if we’re serious about change.

At Ensera Design, we’re tackling these challenges head-on by combining deep regulatory expertise with innovative design thinking. It’s about making packaging smarter, greener, and genuinely user-friendly. Because that’s where real progress happens.

Sustainability is a given at events like PharmaPack - but where are you seeing real progress? Recyclable materials like cardboard have become the baseline, and that’s great, but it’s only part of the story. Where we see real progress is in how packaging design influences patient behaviour and treatment outcomes. When packaging makes medicines easier to understand, open, and dose correctly at home, adherence improves. Better adherence means fewer missed doses, less misuse, and lower risk of relapse. That translates into fewer repeat prescriptions and less over-prescribing, ultimately reducing pharmaceutical waste and creating a more sustainable healthcare system that goes beyond materials alone. We’re also seeing markets like the Nordics lead the way, where sustainability is baked into decision-making criteria for joint and national tenders. That kind of systemic approach drives real change.

At Ensera Design, we’re passionate about this bigger picture. Designing solutions that not only meet environmental goals but also improve patient outcomes. Because sustainability isn’t just about what packaging is made of; it’s about how it works in the hands of the user.

What role do you see digitalisation and smart packaging playing in pharma in the future?

Digitalisation and smart packaging will play an ever more important role, not as gimmicks, but as practical tools for better usability, adherence, and sustainability. Imagine digitised IFUs and updatable pack information that respond to real-world feedback. That means instructions can be refined without scrapping entire product runs, reducing waste while improving patient outcomes. Post-market surveillance and human factors studies become part of a continuous improvement loop rather than a one-off exercise.

Then there’s digital authentication to tackle counterfeiting, and embedded sensors that monitor temperature and humidity to keep drugs and reagents stable. Add in smart alerts and usage tracking, and packaging starts actively supporting adherence rather than just sitting on a shelf.

At Ensera Design, we’re exploring how these technologies can be integrated seamlessly, including spearheading innovation in areas like RFID labelling. The future isn’t just about adding tech for tech’s sake. It’s about making packaging smarter in ways that genuinely help patients and create a more sustainable system.

If you were advising a pharma company redesigning its packaging strategy in 2026, what would be the one thing you’d tell them to prioritise?

If I had to pick one priority for a packaging strategy in 2026, it would be inclusivity. Because it’s not just a moral imperative, it’s a business one. Nearly a quarter of adults in the UK and almost 30% in the US report having a disability, and over 40% say they struggle to access products in person. That’s a huge segment of the population whose needs are often overlooked, along with the £274 billion “purple pound” in spending power. Inclusive design benefits everyone. History proves it: the electric toothbrush was invented for people with limited mobility, but today dentists recommend them for all.

When we design for the margins, we create better solutions for the mainstream. At Ensera Design, we believe the future of pharma packaging lies in research that actively includes people with disabilities. It’s about making medicines easier to open, understand, and use. Because when packaging works for everyone, adherence improves, waste decreases, and brands build trust. Inclusivity isn’t a trend; it’s the foundation of smarter, more sustainable healthcare.

Rob Gibbs, director business development, Tjoapack

What are you most looking forward to at Pharmapack?

I’m looking forward to the strategic conversations rather than just the exhibits. Pharmapack is one of the few events where you can discuss packaging decisions in the context of commercialisation, scale-up, and supply continuity, not just innovation for innovation’s sake.

It’s also a great forum to understand how pharma companies are thinking about risk, speed to market, and long-term packaging strategy.

What’s the biggest challenge you’re currently facing in pharmaceutical packaging that isn’t being talked about enough?

There’s still a disconnect between packaging concepts and what actually works efficiently at commercial scale. Packaging decisions are often locked in too early without fully considering supply chain resilience, cost to serve, or operational flexibility. The commercial impact of those early choices (delays, rework, single-supplier dependency) is significant but not always visible upfront.

Sustainability is a given at events like Pharmapack, but where are you seeing real progress?

The real progress is in practical, commercially viable sustainability - material reduction, simplification of packs, and changes that can be implemented without introducing supply or regulatory risk. There’s a growing recognition that sustainable packaging must work operationally and economically, not just environmentally, which is helping move projects out of discussion and into execution.

What role do you see digitalisation and smart packaging playing in pharma in the future?

Digitalisation will increasingly be about improving commercial outcomes through better supply chain visibility, more efficient recalls, and stronger protection against counterfeiting rather than adding complexity to the pack. The winners will be solutions that leverage existing data and infrastructure to improve decision-making, rather than technologies that look impressive but are difficult to scale globally.

If you were advising a pharma company redesigning its packaging strategy in 2026, what would be the one thing you’d tell them to prioritise?

Engage CPO packaging experts much earlier in the decision-making process. Too often, packaging formats are designed in isolation and only later tested against real-world equipment and operations. Tjoapack understands what will run efficiently at scale, across multiple sites, and under regulatory scrutiny. Involving us early can significantly reduce risk, cost, and time to market while improving long-term supply resilience.

Alexander Schäfer, business development manager at Sharp Services

What’s new at Pharmapack for Sharp this year?

To support continued growth in the autoinjector market, Sharp has expanded its autoinjector and pen assembly, labelling, and packaging capabilities, increasing capacity across EU and U.S. facilities.

What trends do you expect to see shaping the industry in 2026?

In terms of outsourcing, in 2026, the pharma sector will be reshaped by increasing therapeutic complexity, rising expectations related to sustainability, and digital transformation. The focus on these long-term trends continues to redefine the relationship between pharmaceutical companies and their outsourcing partners.

Key trends Sharp is seeing include:

  • Growth in large-molecule biologics and ADCs is driving demand for high-containment capabilities and specialised handling and packaging expertise
  • Rapid expansion of the autoinjector market, fuelled by the prevalence of chronic diseases, patient preference for at-home administration, and innovation in connected devices
  • Adoption of AI and digital tools, delivering faster data insights, higher-quality outputs, and more connected operations across the value chain
  • Sustainability is now a baseline requirement, driven by regulatory and investor expectations, requiring supply chain partners to demonstrate transparent carbon reporting and science-based emissions reduction strategies
  • Continued focus on supply chain resilience and risk mitigation, prompting nearshoring, dual sourcing, and diversified global networks.

Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly prioritising CDMOs that combine specialised biologics expertise, strong sustainability leadership, digitally enabled operations, and global agility, partners best positioned to accelerate development and commercialisation, reduce risk, and strengthen supply resilience.

John Jansen, head of global marketing & intelligence, and Marc Martens, marketing communications manager at CurTec

What is the biggest challenge in pharmaceutical packaging that isn’t talked about enough?

One of the most under appreciated challenges in pharmaceutical packaging is the protection of high-value active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) throughout their lifecycle. While conversations often focus on regulatory compliance or sustainability, the reality is that many APIs represent an enormous investment in R&D, manufacturing and quality control long before they ever reach a patient. Any compromise in packaging integrity due to moisture, contamination, or mechanical failure during transport can result in significant financial loss and supply disruption.

What makes this challenge particularly complex is that APIs often need dual protection. They must be shielded from environmental factors such as humidity, oxygen, and physical stress, while also being safely contained to prevent exposure risks to people and the environment. This balance is not always visible to the end user, which may explain why it receives less attention than it deserves. For high-potency APIs (HPAPIs), specialized containment and protective solutions are mandatory to ensure safety during handling and container closure systems must provide adequate protection against foreseeable external factors to prevent deterioration.

Another overlooked aspect is real-world logistics. Packaging may perform well in controlled test conditions, but global supply chains introduce vibration, stacking pressure, temperature variation, and repeated handling. Without robust packaging that accounts for these realities, even the most carefully manufactured API can be compromised. Protecting high-value APIs is about safeguarding product integrity and patient safety at every stage.

Sustainability — where are you seeing real progress?

Sustainability in pharmaceutical packaging has moved beyond high-level commitments and is increasingly visible in practical design decisions. One of the most notable areas of progress is product evolution, which involves rethinking existing packaging formats to minimise environmental impact without compromising performance or safety.

Lightweighting is a good example. By reducing material use through smarter design and improved manufacturing precision, packaging can deliver immediate benefits in terms of lower carbon emissions, reduced transport impact, and improved handling efficiency. Importantly, these gains are being achieved while maintaining the same properties and certification levels required for pharmaceutical use.

Material simplification is another meaningful step forward. Designing packaging from a single, high-performance polymer, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), can significantly enhance recyclability while meeting the demanding functional requirements of pharmaceutical applications. HDPE is widely valued for its rigidity, impact strength even at low temperatures, and chemical resistance, making it well-suited to protecting sensitive, high-value materials. The gradual introduction of bio-based or alternative feedstocks is also helping reduce reliance on purely fossil-based materials without impacting the recyclability of packaging, contributing to measurable carbon footprint reductions.

What’s encouraging is that sustainability is no longer treated as a trade-off. The most successful innovations are those where environmental improvements are embedded into the product by design, rather than added as an afterthought. When sustainable packaging performs just as well as its predecessor and fits seamlessly into existing operations, adoption becomes a practical decision rather than a symbolic one.

If you were advising a pharma company redesigning its packaging, what would you tell them to prioritise?

The main non-negotiable packaging priorities should always be regulatory compliance and product protection. Pharmaceutical packaging must meet strict standards for safety, cleanliness, and performance. Any redesign has to maintain or improve on these fundamentals. That said, compliance alone should not be the end goal.

Rather than only reevaluating packaging when something goes wrong, we would advise companies to take a proactive and holistic view of performance across the entire packaging lifecycle. This includes how well packaging protects valuable materials under real transport conditions, how efficiently it moves through the supply chain, and how it aligns with evolving sustainability expectations.

Another key consideration is future readiness. Regulatory frameworks around packaging waste and recyclability are tightening, and redesign projects offer an opportunity to get ahead of those changes rather than react to them later. Investing in solutions that are already aligned with upcoming requirements can reduce the need for repeated requalification and change control down the line.

The goal should be packaging that makes the “right” choice easy with solutions that are safe, compliant, sustainable, and operationally efficient without forcing compromises. When performance, compliance, and sustainability move forward together, packaging becomes a strategic asset rather than a constraint.