World’s first medication adherence pack pre-qualified as recyclable recognized for advancing sustainable healthcare packaging

As healthcare systems face increasing pressure to reduce waste and carbon impact, packaging innovation must deliver measurable results without compromising patient safety or pharmacy workflow. At the same time, environmental claims across industries are under greater scrutiny, with regulators, retailers and consumers demanding proof over promise.

At the 2026 PAC Global Awards ceremony, held February 18–19 in Toronto, Jones Healthcare Group’s Qube™ Eco earned Best of Show (Platinum) in Package Innovation Design – the program’s highest overall recognition –  and Best in Class (Gold) in Sustainable Package Design, Package Circularity. The honours highlight a solution developed to meet uncompromising performance standards while advancing circularity in healthcare packaging.

Unlike traditional adherence packs that combine PVC, foil and laminated materials into inseparable structures destined for landfill, Qube Eco is engineered for clean separation into paper and plastic streams using a Bio-PET blister, paperboard cover and an APR-recognized BOPP pressure-sensitive seal. The design has been pre-qualified as Widely Recyclable by How2Recycle® in Canada and Widely Recycled by OPRL in the United Kingdom, reinforcing the credibility of its recyclability claims across markets*.

In the technical design category, Qube Eco’s innovation lies in its material and structural engineering. A patent-pending perforation pattern enables patients to pierce the cavity barrier with foil-like force while preventing tears from spreading into adjacent doses. To preserve moisture protection, the product’s patented PACT™ system maintains barrier integrity in line with USP 671 requirements. The transparent seal also allows pharmacists to see both sides of the blister, supporting efficient medication verification.

The solution launched in pilot with Shoppers Drug Mart Central Pharmacy Services in Canada in 2025 and is rolling out more broadly across North America, the United Kingdom and other European markets this year. Early pharmacist feedback highlights improved visual checks and reduced printer maintenance through the use of a non-adhesive cover card. Patient response confirms no change in user experience compared to other blister packs — a critical factor in maintaining medication adherence outcomes.

“Healthcare packaging has historically been one of the most difficult categories to redesign for circularity because safety and performance standards are rightly uncompromising,” says Trevor Noye, Senior Vice-President, Medication Adherence at Jones Healthcare. “With Qube Eco, we set out to prove that recyclability could be achieved without sacrificing barrier protection, workflow efficiency or patient clarity — and we achieved that standard.”

The awards add to Jones Healthcare Group’s recent PAC Global honours for Qube Pro and FlexRx™ One in technical design innovation and carbon reduction categories.

To view a video highlighting Qube Eco’s key features, see the video below:

For more information about the company’s award-winning packaging solutions, visit joneshealthcaregroup.com and pac-awards.com. To learn more about the company’s medication adherence solutions, visit our medication adherence website.

 
*Additional components, product application, or other attributes may change the final recyclability of the package.