Med Device Packaging Fundamentals Course from IoPP

This IoPP course was developed in partnership with its Medical Device Packaging Technical Committee (or MDPTC), and it’s designed to get you up to speed on the essential knowledge around this complex segment of the packaging industry.  

It kicks off on Monday, October 24 with three half-day on-site sessions located at PACK EXPO International.

As MDPTC chairperson Jennifer Benolken notes in a two-part series of blog posts linked below, career development paths have changed for med device packaging engineers in the past several years.

New engineers often don’t have the same access to the on-site sterile packaging lines, senior packaging leaders' time, or updated training materials that they once did.

In 2017, Benolken started discussing the need for something “more” with respect to ushering young professionals into the industry – both technically and professionally. 

She determined the best home for it was with the MDPTC. Moving from conversations in 2017 to working through technicalities with others through early 2019—and course-building later that year with about 30-40 professionals volunteering—the course was ready for debut in the Fall of 2020 at PACK EXPO in Chicago.

But as Benolken explains… we all know how that went! After two years, the course is back on track for this upcoming Fall 2022 at McCormick Place during PACK EXPO.

The course is affordable, hands on, driven by industry, and proceeds will be invested in inviting young packaging professionals into the medical device world, she says.

Taught by a team of packaging experts vetted and selected by the MDPTC, the curriculum includes classroom instruction, and discussions and demonstrations of various machinery used to create medical device packaging at participating exhibitors’ booths on the show floor.

Seating is limited, so register at the link below by August 30 to secure your spot!

Up next in med devices: The newly released Common Nordic Criteria for More Sustainable Packaging in Healthcare.

It was developed as a spin-off from previous efforts at Aarhaus University Hospital in Denmark to improve hospital recycling rates in a meaningful and scalable way.

Presented by Susanne Backer at a LyondellBasell event in June, the criteria aim to (1) reduce material waste, (2) increase recycling, and (3) increase the usage of recycled or renewable materials.

As Backer notes, their strategy was to get the industry 'on board' to the greatest extent possible from the start, in order to increase the chances of successful adoption. They also wanted to benefit from industry players’ in-depth knowledge of what is—and what could be—possible.

The document covers primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging materials. Included in the guide is a decision tree for healthcare procurement officers who are making purchasing decisions. 

Recommendations are divided into three levels: Basic, Advanced, and Spearhead for those at the forefront of the industry’s sustainability initiatives.

Now, the criteria were developed in close collaboration with healthcare procurement orgs in Nordic countries. But ultimately, the goal is for the criteria to be adopted in other EU countries outside of the Nordic region, and this is something they’re already working on.

At her presentation, Backer enjoyed showing pictures from the playground in front of Randers Regional Hospital, where all the equipment is made from recycled materials.

One item is actually constructed out of 300 kgs of hospital plastic waste, collected in their hospitals. As she says, “The playground offers an example that high quality plastic waste from medical equipment can be collected and recycled in a safe—and economically sane—way. 

The 25-page Nordic criteria document is available online now. Check it out at the link onscreen.

We’re out of time! Stay tuned for ongoing med device packaging coverage.