Secondary packaging, which gives additional physical protection to a proximity package, is increasingly a darling of companies’ smart technologies and sustainability goals. Up to now, it had received less attention in those areas than primary packaging, its closer cousin in relation to a drug product.

Yet as companies with packaging interests set short- and long-term sustainability goals, they are finding secondary packaging provides a wide pathway to those objectives.

In the following piece are the unique perspectives of three industry veterans. Peter Belden is Chief Commercial Officer at Tjoapack. Just recently, Tjoapack was acquired by Alcami.

Adding to Belden’s thoughts is John Jansen, Head of Global Marketing for CurTec. Jansen authored a previous piece for Contract Pharma, “The Crucial Role of Secondary Packaging in Protecting Product Integrity,” in April 2026.

Also joining the discussion is Brooke Marshall, Vice President of Business Development for Pyramid Pharma Services. Most recently, Pyramid and Phio Pharmaceuticals entered a drug product manufacturing agreement centered around skin cancer treatment.

After identifying these subject matter experts, Contract Pharma posed three essential questions. The first gathered perspective on how long secondary packaging has played second banana to primary, and if both forms are adopting sustainable practices at the same rate. The second asked to identify the main challenges related to scalability, and whether sustainability and reproducibility are compatible.

Finally, we asked for a look ahead. Many companies have set sustainability goals whose anticipated fulfillment is fast approaching in the year 2030. Other goals have a target of the year 2050. By projecting out current trends by years, even decades, a picture of secondary packaging’s role in sustainable processes becomes complete.

Secondary Packaging in the Driver’s Seat

The experts agree that primary packaging has historically received the lion’s share of attention when it comes to sustainability. The reasons for this are obvious: its direct impacts on product and patient safety, as well as regulatory compliance. In contrast, Belden notes secondary packaging has often been pigeonholed as a later-stage opportunity. Jansen goes a step further: He calls it a “missed opportunity.”

For example, Jansen says, CurTec’s ECO LITE drums are made from a 30–70% blend of plant- and fossil-based plastics. They are also 100% recyclable. Their simplified, fully circular design leads the charge in secondary packaging sustainability.

“While primary packaging faces slower adaptation due to rigorous stability testing, secondary packaging offers a quick win for CO₂ reduction,” Jansen says.

For this reason and many others, secondary packaging is increasingly a major vector for sustainable practices. Our sources cite its advantages in reducing material use and waste as well as improving recyclability and logistics. Also, they say, secondary packaging can engender smarter solutions along the supply chain, and in traceability. Plus, comparatively lower risk exists versus primary packaging.

“This shift is also driven by practicality,” Marshall says. “Secondary packaging often offers a more accessible path to achieving near-term sustainability gains. Changes can typically be implemented with fewer regulatory hurdles compared to primary packaging.”

According to Marshall, this allows organizations to pilot innovations, adopt standardized formats, and scale improvements more quickly.

“Early adoption of standardization in materials, formats, and labeling can help companies avoid more complex, costly transitions later,” Marshall says.

Notably, say the experts, both primary and secondary packaging are increasingly moving toward smarter, more sustainable processes. But they do find that this is not happening at equal rates.

“Primary packaging remains more constrained by material and regulatory requirements,” Belden says. “Secondary packaging has generally moved faster in adopting smarter and more sustainable processes.”

As Marshall puts it, this makes secondary packaging an increasingly strategic focus for organizations looking to delivery measurable sustainability progress.

Roadblocks in Scalability and Reproducibility

However, Marshall adds, scalability presents a unique challenge. Sustainability and reproducibility are not competing priorities, necessarily. However, their designs should have intention to scale together.

This requires concentration on standardization, validation, and support from reliable supply chains, according to Belden.

“The main challenge is scaling across different SKUs, formats, batch sizes, and market requirements without adding complexity or compromising control,” Belden says.

That added complexity can include such factors as cost pressures and supplier capabilities, Marshall says, to equipment compatibility and evolving compliance requirements. Pilot programs can demonstrate value effectively, Marshall contends, but they only go so far.

“Platform-based approaches, aligned specifications, and strong supplier partnerships are essential to ensure consistency,” Marshall says. “Without them, variability can increase and undermine both efficiency and sustainability goals.”

Other risks are never too far away, either. This particularly applies to the supply chain. Here, Marshall says early introduction of risk assessments is the key to defining and maintaining reproducibility.

“Proactively identifying potential sources of variability, whether in materials, processes, or logistics, helps avoid retrofitted solutions later,” Marshall says. This is especially true when dealing with globally distributed materials, and in prevention of waste and other inefficiencies.

Belden concurs.

“Sustainability helps reproducibility when it is built into the operating model,” Belden argues. “But it becomes a risk when material choices or regional waste systems are not yet mature.”

As for CurTec, Jansen says its line of drums was in part the product of an investment in hybrid manufacturing equipment. In other words, this technology allows for precise control of material distribution during blow molding—ultimately guarding against weak spots.

“Reducing weight without compromising on performance and safety is a real challenge in heavily regulated industries. So we’re very proud to have found a way,” Jansen says. “Every unit meets the same high standards for strength and safety.”

“Smart solutions must fit within highly regulated environments and remain efficient at commercial scale,” Belden concludes. “Process consistency, modular automation, and well-qualified materials are essential.”

Too Early to Look Ahead?

It is now the second quarter of 2026. By the end of the third quarter, we will be in the final third of the 2020s. That is absolutely not too early, the experts say, to realistically evaluate if sustainability goals set for 2030 are attainable.

“If every company in the sector really challenges their R&D departments to meet 2030 Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation requirements, not in the future but right now, as we did at CurTec, then there should be no problem reaching these sustainability goals,” says Jansen.

Progress is evident in several areas, notably alternative materials and material optimization, but also automation and incorporating smart features. Jansen mentioned CurTec’s exploration of integrating recycled content alongside bio-based and virgin feedstocks.

But while these endeavors may set the industry on a short-term course for 2030 goals, 2050 still feels far away. Progress up to now, Marshall says, has been uneven. Regional variability is one factor to overcome.

What will fundamentally determine the achievability of long-term goals, according to Marshall, are the decisions being made in the present.

“Choices related to material types, recyclability pathways, and compatibility with existing and future infrastructure will either enable or constrain future progress,” Marshall says. “As a result, early alignment on sustainable materials, supported by standardization and scalable design principles, is critical.”

Belden noted that change, however quickly it is sought, tends to happen gradually.

“Every shift in materials or processes must be validated and implemented carefully,” Belden states. “It is possible to assess momentum today, but long-term impact will depend on how consistently the industry can scale proven solutions over time.”

Latest News Roundup

All of this expert insight isn’t just talk. Innovations and investments impacting packaging continue to back up prevailing opinions on industry trends.

In March 2026, Colbert Packaging announced the installation of new die-cutting equipment at its Kenosha, Wisc. facility. The additional die cutter was expected to increase Colbert’s efficiency in folding carton production capabilities.

The same month, Schreiner MediPharm said it has developed a transparent deep-freeze seal. A tear in this film is irreversible, and—depending on cardboard material—may also cause folding box fibers to tear. Future addition of security features is an option for manufacturers.

Meanwhile, at INTERPHEX 2026 in New York City in April, Verista showcased its COUNTQ and KITQ integrated offerings. The company said these are designed to increase control in component counting and reconciliation processes in packaging workflows. This not only reduces manual effort, but also errors.

Similarly, IL Group took the occasion of the trade show to launch its Single Minute Changeover Labeler Series Automatic Labelers. IL Group said these are designed to integrate seamlessly into modern pharmaceutical packaging lines. This system’s consistency and repeatability align with the greater smart tech and sustainability objectives of this industry sector.

Conclusion

As artificial intelligence and automation continue to evolve in the pharmaceutical industry, smart technologies are increasingly in fashion. At the same time, companies are assessing both their short- and long-term sustainability objectives. While mid-century goals may not be easily forecast, the race to a more sustainable decade in the 2030s is on.

Pharmaceutical packaging can be a pathway to helping these companies practice what they preach in terms of sustainability. However, primary packaging carries inherent roadblocks due to the exacting nature of product and patient safety, plus regulatory compliance.

By contrast, secondary packaging, while still being held to stringent standards, is one more layer removed from a drug product. The materials that comprise this facet of the packaging process can lend themselves more easily to recyclability.

How to amplify secondary packaging as a beacon of sustainability—while incorporating technologies eliminating human error—is now the question. Its sustainable potential exceeds that of primary packaging, even though the latter has traditionally garnered more attention.

Companies’ abilities to adapt may well determine where their goals stand in 2030, 2050, and beyond.