3 Benefits of Flexible Packaging for Shipping Medical Supplies

Posted by rakhi raghavan

Flexible packaging helps manufacturers strike a critical balance between durability and ease of use, whether shipping for COVID-19 or standard healthcare supply chains. Efforts to ramp up testing amid the coronavirus pandemic have shone a rare spotlight on an unsung hero of the supply chain: the packaging manufacturer. One positive outcome has been a resurgence in the recognition and appreciation of flexible packaging advantages in the medical industry. 

Suitable for sterilization: Flexible packaging has evolved over time to hold up well under two of the most prominent sterilization agents for medical supplies: ethylene oxide (ETO) and gamma radiation. Because of flexible packaging’s unique breathability, it lines up well with the process of flushing ETO into the packaging and pulling it back out. With gamma sterilization, you don’t need breathability, but you need materials that can pass through the process without becoming brittle or yellowed. Flexible packaging checks both of those boxes.

Withstands rigorous shipping: From 46-inch-long catheters to syringe barrels, medical supply packaging needs to accommodate a wide array of shapes and sizes. Versatile flexible packaging can be tailored to fit these distinct requirements based on product design much more so than other packaging types.

Balances protection and practicality: Flexible packaging helps manufacturers strike a critical balance between durability and ease of use. Syringes, swabs and other items need to remain sterile until opened without creating difficulty for the end user who is often in a high-stress situation.

It all adds up to the strongest link in the supply chain.