Plastic Free Desiccant Bags for Pharmaceutical Packaging: What FSC Chain of Custody Actually Covers

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The Micro Bag Plastic Free is the version of Levosil’s desiccant sachet built with a paper envelope instead of Tyvek® or similar non-woven materials, designed to cut the plastic content of the packaging without giving up any of the requirements pharmaceutical or nutraceutical applications call for. Like every Micro Bag, it works by pulling excess moisture out of the surrounding air and holding onto it, without affecting the drug’s organoleptic properties or its active ingredients. That keeps it a working line of defence against humidity both inside the bottle and inside the secondary packaging box.

Food-grade paper, suitable for direct contact

The difference from a generic recycled-paper sachet lies in the grade of the material: Levosil uses food-grade paper, which qualifies it for direct contact with the drug. That makes the Micro Bag Plastic Free suitable both as primary packaging, sitting alongside tablets, capsules or medical devices inside the bottle, and as secondary packaging, inside the outer box or blister carton.

The paper envelope matches Tyvek® on dust containment and vapour permeability.

What FSC Chain of Custody actually certifies

The FSC® mark on the pack doesn’t certify the sachet itself; it certifies the supply chain that produced the paper. FSC Chain of Custody certification tracks wood or paper material through every stage of production, from forests managed to defined environmental, social and economic standards (or from controlled or recycled sources) all the way to the finished, labelled product. Every company in that chain that owns, processes, packages or labels the certified material needs its own independent certification, verified by an accredited body: if a single link isn’t certified, the chain breaks and the final product can’t carry the FSC® mark. Levosil has held FSC® Chain of Custody certification since 2018 (certificate CQ-COC 000426), specifically for the paper used as an envelope on these desiccant bags.

Compostable, not just plastic free

“Plastic free” describes the absence of fossil-based plastic in the envelope; compostability is a separate property, tied to how the material behaves at end of life. The coating on Levosil’s paper complies with the EN 13432 standard for industrial compostability of packaging. The result is a desiccant bag that is 100% dust free (the envelope fully contains any dust the desiccant might release), fully compostable, and made in Italy.

The same performance as the standard Micro Bag

The envelope changes; the content doesn’t. The Micro Bag Plastic Free is available with the same range of desiccants as the rest of the Micro Bag line, matched to the application. Silica gel remains the most widely used in pharmaceutical settings; molecular sieve is chosen when a faster, stronger drying action is needed; clay is the option for nutraceutical customers who prefer a naturally sourced desiccant. As with the rest of the Micro Bag line, production areas and finished products undergo annual microbiological testing that verifies their purity and rules out mould spores being introduced into the pack.

Key points

• The Micro Bag Plastic Free replaces Tyvek® with a food-grade paper envelope, suitable for pharmaceutical primary packaging.
• FSC® Chain of Custody certification covers the paper and the whole supply chain that processes it, not the sachet itself: Levosil has held it since 2018 (CQ-COC 000426).
• The envelope is compostable to the EN 13432 standard, as well as free of fossil-based plastic.
• Same desiccant range (silica gel, molecular sieve, clay) and same performance as the standard Micro Bag.

Contact us: +39 011 96 43 430 — info@levosil.com