By Don Alip, Product manager, Healthcare – Winpak Ltd.
Medical device packaging must do more than protect a product. It must maintain sterility, perform consistently on high-speed packaging equipment, withstand demanding sterilization processes and open cleanly at the point of use.
For global medical device manufacturers, the challenge becomes even more complex. Packaging materials may need to perform consistently across multiple production lines, contract manufacturing sites and geographic regions. Procurement teams must manage lead times, freight costs and supply continuity, while packaging engineers and operations teams need materials that run reliably.
Wiicare addresses these challenges through its global Fitform® and Medform® forming film platforms for horizontal form-fill-seal medical device packaging. Produced in North America and Europe, these harmonized product families help healthcare manufacturers simplify material specifications, support regional supply strategies and maintain consistent packaging performance across global operations.
Why Global Medical Device Manufacturers Need Harmonized Packaging Materials
Global healthcare companies often manufacture the same or similar devices at several locations. When different packaging materials are used at each plant, the result can be increased complexity.
Packaging engineers may need to qualify multiple specifications. Operations teams may have to manage different machine settings. Procurement groups may carry additional inventory or depend on materials shipped over long distances.
A harmonized medical packaging film platform can reduce this complexity by providing comparable materials from regional manufacturing locations. Wiicare’s forming film portfolio is designed to support customers that are expanding production, transferring products between sites or seeking a stronger business continuity plan.
Regional production can also help customers manage lead times, freight costs and landed costs when trade policies, tariffs or transportation conditions change. Just as important, customers receive coordinated support from global and regional account teams throughout product transitions, scale-ups and ongoing commercial supply.
Fitform: Versatile Performance for Sterilizable Medical Packaging
Fitform is a high-performance forming film designed for a broad range of medical device packaging applications.
Its proprietary 11-layer nylon and polyethylene structure provides an effective balance of forming performance, clarity and mechanical strength. The multilayer construction offers resistance to puncture and abrasion, helping protect devices throughout sterilization, distribution and handling.
Fitform is engineered for shallow to deep cavities and consistent forming across a variety of package geometries and horizontal form-fill-seal equipment. Its excellent transparency also supports visual inspection, allowing users to confirm product features and package condition through the formed cavity.
The platform is compatible with ethylene oxide, gamma and electron-beam sterilization. It can also be sealed to several commonly used healthcare lidding materials, including:
This lidding flexibility makes Fitform a practical choice for products such as syringes, pipettes, urinary catheters, IV sets, tubing sets and smaller orthopedic devices.
For high-volume medical disposables, the combination of Fitform and direct seal paper can offer an especially attractive total package solution. Direct seal papers eliminate the need for a separate heat-seal coating and are widely available in the medical packaging market. When matched to the proper application, this combination can help customers balance package performance with a competitive total package cost.
Medform: Recycle-Ready Polyethylene Forming Films
While Fitform provides highly versatile performance, Medform offers healthcare manufacturers an option designed to support recyclable packaging structures. Medform is produced from a multilayer, 100% polyethylene construction. The material is designed to withstand EO, gamma and e-beam sterilization while providing reliable forming and seal performance for sterilizable healthcare applications.
Medform is compatible with coated Tyvek, coated medical paper and peelable film lidding. It is available in multiple thicknesses to support applications ranging from shallow cavities to deeper package designs.
The polyethylene construction can help customers reduce material complexity and support packaging design objectives related to recyclability and material simplification. When Medform is paired with a compatible polyethylene top web, the package can be designed as a polyethylene-based structure intended for recycling where suitable collection and recycling infrastructure exists.
Typical applications include syringes, surgical kits, IV sets and tubing products where customers need dependable forming performance, sterilization compatibility and good contact clarity.
Medform DT: Designed to Seal Directly to Uncoated Tyvek®
Medform DT expands the Medform platform by addressing one of the most difficult challenges in packaging structures designed for recycling: developing a forming film that seals directly to uncoated Tyvek.
Medform DT is a 100% polyethylene forming film engineered to provide strong seals and a clean, fiber-free peel from uncoated DuPont™ Tyvek® healthcare grades. Because the lidding does not require a heat-seal coating, Medform DT and uncoated Tyvek can create a polyethylene package structure designed for recycling, subject to local collection and recycling systems. The platform has also been prequalified by How2Recycle® for recyclability labeling.
This structure can provide several advantages:
Combining Medform DT with uncoated Tyvek compared to traditional coated Tyvek package structures drives an estimated 27% savings on a total package cost perspective. Actual savings will depend on film gauge, package design, lidding specification and commercial conditions.
Medform DT is best suited for shallow- to medium-depth packages such as prefilled syringes, pipettes, swabs, diagnostic labware, non-invasive catheters, sterile gloves, wound care products and sterile fluid pathway components.
More Than a Film Supplier
Medical device manufacturers need more than access to packaging materials. They need technical documentation, validation assistance and responsive support.
Wiicare’s global forming film platforms are supported by technical data sheets and detailed product information covering regulatory statements, material properties, stability, cytotoxicity and microbial barrier testing. This documentation helps packaging teams evaluate materials and plan validation activities with greater confidence.
Wiicare Field Technical Services professionals are also available to support on-site trials, equipment setup, troubleshooting and process optimization. Global and regional account teams coordinate closely so customers receive consistent support regardless of where a product is developed or manufactured.
Selecting the Right Medical Packaging Film
No single forming film is ideal for every application.
Fitform offers excellent versatility, clarity and puncture resistance for a wide range of medical devices. Medform provides a 100% polyethylene option for customers pursuing packaging designs intended to support recycling. Medform DT extends that capability by sealing directly to uncoated Tyvek for one of Wiicare’s most advanced recycle-ready horizontal form-fill-seal package structures.
By combining global manufacturing, proven healthcare packaging materials and experienced technical support, Wiicare helps customers select solutions based on device protection, sterilization method, package geometry, operating requirements, cost and sustainability goals.
Connect with a Wiicare healthcare packaging specialist to discuss your application and identify the Fitform or Medform solution best aligned with your global packaging strategy.
By Jyri Mäkinen, HCF Global Sales Manager, Wipak Health
Reducing environmental impacts is becoming a key priority across healthcare systems worldwide. Hospitals, healthcare providers and medical device manufacturers are increasingly expected to reduce environmental impacts while maintaining the highest standards of patient safety and regulatory compliance. The challenge lies in balancing these objectives without compromising quality or performance.
At Steriking®, environmental performance considerations are not viewed as a separate initiative but as an integral part of product development, manufacturing and operational excellence. Backed by Wipak’s latest ESG Report 2025, this approach brings together environmental progress, patient safety, responsible sourcing, employee well-being and transparent governance, all essential for advancing healthcare packaging solutions with reduced environmental impacts. Steriking® packaging solutions are designed to support healthcare organizations in their environmental initiatives while continuing to protect patients and healthcare professionals.
Unlike many industries, healthcare packaging operates within a highly regulated environment where product safety can never be compromised. In healthcare, packaging designed to reduce environmental impacts is not only about lowering environmental impact, it also requires robust quality systems, safe working practices, responsible supplier management and transparent governance. Wipak’s ESG and environmental improvement approach is therefore built specifically for healthcare applications, combining environmental performance, patient safety and compliance with stringent industry requirements.
All improvements are implemented while maintaining essential packaging performance characteristics such as sterilization compatibility, barrier integrity and compliance with recognized healthcare packaging standards. This commitment is supported by internationally recognized management systems, including ISO 14001 for environmental management and ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 for quality management and operational excellence. Wipak has also achieved an EcoVadis Silver rating and is working towards a Platinum rating by 2030.
Wipak has made significant progress in reducing its environmental footprint. The company has reduced operational greenhouse gas emissions through a combination of emission reduction measures and climate contribution initiatives. Operational emissions have been reduced significantly since 2019, while more than 96% of the electricity used across production sites now comes from renewable electricity sources. The company is also committed to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), with ambitions to further reduce product-related emissions by 2030.
These efforts demonstrate that meaningful climate action is possible even in highly regulated industries where quality and safety requirements are exceptionally demanding.
Environmental performance extends beyond manufacturing operations. Responsible sourcing and material selection are critical parts of creating healthcare packaging solutions with reduced environmental impacts. Wipak applies ESG-based supplier assessments, targeted supplier audits and a Supplier Code of Conduct to help encourage responsible practices throughout its supply chain. Selected sites are certified under ISCC PLUS, enabling the use of certified circular and bio-circular raw materials with traceability through a mass-balance approach. Additionally, Steriking® shipping boxes are FSC® certified and contain significant levels of recycled fibre content. The company also focuses on reducing logistics-related emissions through shipment consolidation, improved production planning and collaboration with local or regional suppliers whenever possible.
Healthcare organizations worldwide are increasingly setting ambitious targets for carbon reduction and waste minimization. Environmental and ESG-related considerations are becoming an important part of procurement decisions and supplier evaluations.
Steriking® products are designed to support these objectives where applicable. By reducing waste, enabling recycling and improving resource efficiency, Steriking® packaging solutions can help hospitals reduce environmental impacts associated with packaging and sterile processing activities without compromising the sterility and safety of medical devices.
One important contributor is the long-validated shelf life provided by Steriking® packaging. Longer shelf life helps hospitals reduce product expiration, minimize unnecessary reprocessing and lower emissions associated with sterile processing activities. This delivers both environmental and operational benefits across healthcare facilities.
As healthcare organizations seek to improve waste segregation and recycling rates, packaging design plays an increasingly important role. Steriking® offers a variety of solutions that support recycling and circular-economy objectives. Depending on the application, products may utilize mono-material polypropylene structures designed for recyclability where suitable collection and recycling infrastructure exists, recyclable Tyvek® materials within HDPE recycling streams, or packaging components that can be separated into dedicated paper and plastic recycling channels. Certain trayliner solutions additionally incorporate bio-based materials. This design approach supports waste segregation and recycling efforts where suitable collection, sorting and recycling systems are available.
Environmental performance in healthcare is not only about reducing carbon emissions. It is about creating long-term value through responsible use of resources, circular design, employee well-being, ethical business practices and responsibly managed supply chains.
Steriking® products are developed using carefully selected materials that support both environmental and chemical safety requirements. Features include solvent-free laminates, water-based lead-free inks, compliance with REACH requirements and the avoidance of substances such as PFAS, latex and phthalates. Materials are also selected to support patient safety and global regulatory compliance. By reducing potential environmental and occupational exposure risks, these choices align with the growing ESG expectations of healthcare providers and public-sector organizations.
Healthcare procurement is evolving rapidly. Organizations are increasingly evaluating suppliers based not only on product performance but also on environmental, social and governance credentials. Steriking® products are aligned with emerging procurement requirements, including net-zero initiatives, carbon disclosure expectations, recyclability objectives and broader environmental and ESG roadmaps. By combining verified regulatory performance with continuous environmental improvements, Steriking® enables healthcare providers to make informed purchasing decisions without compromising clinical outcomes.
Through reduced emissions, improved recyclability, strong governance practices and transparent environmental and ESG commitments, Steriking® helps healthcare suppliers and hospitals demonstrate progress towards their own environmental and ESG goals.
The transition towards healthcare systems with lower environmental impacts requires collaboration across the value chain. Packaging manufacturers, hospitals, healthcare providers and medical device companies all have an important role to play.
By combining patient safety, regulatory compliance, circular design principles and measurable environmental performance, Steriking® is helping healthcare organizations move towards a future where environmental performance improvements and clinical excellence go hand in hand.
By Michel Terwolbeck, Global Sales Director, Wipak Health
In today’s rapidly evolving global landscape, resilience and reliability have never been more critical, especially in healthcare, where supply continuity directly impacts patient safety.
The ongoing war in Ukraine and the escalating tensions in the Middle East are not only humanitarian crises—they are also reshaping global supply chains in profound ways. One particularly significant development is the disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, a vital gateway for raw materials used across industries, including raw materials for flexible packaging.
The consequences are already visible. Volatility in the availability and pricing of key raw materials is increasing, leading to necessary price adjustments across the market. While these developments are widely recognized, their implications for healthcare packaging supply chains are especially critical.
At Wiicare, we fully understand the responsibility we carry. Our products, sterile barrier systems and hospital sterilization packaging, are essential components in safeguarding patient health. Therefore, despite the challenging environment, we are taking every possible measure to mitigate supply risks. Through proactive sourcing strategies, strong supplier partnerships, and global production flexibility, we are committed to ensuring that our customers experience no disruption in supply.
While the external environment remains volatile, we are simultaneously strengthening our global value proposition. A key pillar in this strategy is Wiicare.
Launched in 2021, Wiicare has been very well received by the market. Our global partners have long expressed the need for suppliers that can deliver consistent, high-quality solutions across continents—ideally with identical products and harmonized standards worldwide. By joining the healthcare packaging strengths of Winpak and Wipak under the Wiicare name, we have taken significant steps forward. Today, Wiicare operates as one global team, aligned in its processes, mindset, and customer focus.
We are Wiicare: Everything we do is designed to CARE. For customers, patients, and the world around us.
This unified approach enables us to support our customers globally with greater agility, consistency, and confidence, especially in times when resilience is more important than ever.
To support long-term growth, Wipak Health is strengthening its manufacturing capabilities through a comprehensive investment program at its Nastola facility in Finland. This includes cleanroom expansion, new production equipment and improved operational efficiency. Over the past five years, Wipak has invested nearly €200 million in new and upgraded assets, expanding to 11 sites across Europe and Asia and employing 1,800 professionals.
In parallel, Wipak is investing in new production machinery and automation to enhance efficiency and performance. The program includes new pouch manufacturing lines, upgraded converting and slitting equipment, as well as automated material handling solutions such as conveyors and robotics, alongside improvements in packaging, quality control and process automation. Implementation across 2026–2027 enables a controlled ramp-up of capacity and improved operational reliability.
Looking beyond today’s challenges, we are firmly focused on the future. Under our Horizon 2030 vision, Wipak and Wiicare are preparing for the next phase of growth and transformation. While continued business growth remains a key priority, we equally recognize that the foundations of future success will be built on automation, harmonization, and digitalization.
These elements are becoming increasingly critical to drive efficiency and enhance responsiveness, while enabling more precise and standardised working processes across the organisation. At the same time, they support maintaining cost competitiveness, further elevating our already high standards of quality and accuracy, and strengthening our ability to develop healthcare packaging solutions that meet evolving customer, regulatory and operational requirements.
To support this journey, we have launched our internal development program WiLeap. Within WiLeap, multiple strategic workstreams are actively shaping the future of Wipak and Wiicare, all aimed at elevating our operational excellence and customer value even further.
Needless to say, “Customer Experience” is at the heart of Wiicare and WiLeap. Every initiative is designed not only to improve internal performance, but to create tangible benefits for our customers, through faster response times, greater transparency, improved consistency, and easier collaboration.
In essence, this development program is about ensuring that we are not only ready for 2030 but that we are continuously improving our capabilities along the way.
The decisions and actions we are taking today from securing supply chains to optimizing our production footprint, strengthening Wiicare, and investing in WiLeap development programs, are all guided by one clear objective: ensuring long-term continuity, quality, and reliability for our customers.
At Wiicare, we invest continuously in advanced manufacturing and cleanroom technology. Combined with our global reach and alignment, and the forward-looking drive of WiLeap, we are reinforcing our ability to deliver excellence in an increasingly complex world.
While global uncertainties persist, our mission remains unchanged: to protect patients by securing the availability of safe, high-quality healthcare packaging solutions.
At Wiicare, we cannot control geopolitical development but we can control how we respond. Through proactive decision-making, strong global partnerships under Wiicare, and future-focused initiatives like WiLeap, we will continue to navigate these challenges and emerge stronger.
We thank you for your trust and partnership.
Wiicare – Designed to Care.
Wipak Oy has been awarded the EcoVadis Silver medal, an independent assessment that evaluates a company’s environmental performance, labor and human rights practices, ethical conduct, and sustainable procurement. This recognition reinforces our commitment to transparency and long‑term sustainability efforts.
Towards EcoVadis Platinum by 2030
EcoVadis plays an essential role in Wipak’s Horizon 2030 strategy. Our goal is clear:
All Wipak companies to reach the EcoVadis Platinum rating by 2030.
This ambition guides our entire organization toward increasingly high environmental and sustainability standards.
♻ Concrete Actions for the Climate and the Environment
Sustainability at Wipak is not just about goals – it is about measurable, science‑based actions backed by verified data.
✔ Operationally Carbon Neutral Since 2022
We have reduced all our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and fully offset the remaining residual emissions through certified climate projects.
✔ 96.8% Renewable Electricity
Nearly all electricity across our 11 manufacturing sites comes from sustainably produced sources.
✔ Energy, Efficiency and Waste Reduction
🌱 Why Does This Matter?
The healthcare sector is estimated to generate 4–5% of global CO₂ emissions. As the manufacturer of Steriking® sterilization packaging, Wipak recognizes its responsibility in helping the sector reduce its environmental footprint – and aims to be at the forefront of this development.
💡 The Journey Continues
EcoVadis Silver is only the beginning.
We are building a more sustainable future step by step – together with our customers and partners.
Together, we lead sustainability.
