Absolutely! The recycled plastic benefits other manufacturers who utilize and produce an endless array of items. We hope that our eco-friendly medication vials have a prolonged life cycle and are transformed as many times as possible into other products.

EcoloPharm wishes to go much farther and minimize one of the major problems facing today’s recycling industry: the low quality of recycled materials.

It depends on the color of the vial. It's the same principle as with sunglasses: the glass must be tinted to provide adequate UV protection.

Green vials protect against 99.8% of UV rays. This exceeds USP (United States Pharmacopeia) standards for UV protection. Medication is highly protected from ultraviolet (UV) radiation and photo-degradation.

Clear vials do not contain a dye protective additive against UV rays. As a result, they block 35 to 40% of UV rays.

Colour affects the level of protection for medications against ultraviolet (UV) radiation. A green vial protects better than a clear vial.

As with all clear vial options on the market, our clear vials offer 35-40% UV protection. Our green vials block 99.8% of 290-450 nm UV rays (the frequency in the potentially problematic spectrum for photosensitive drugs).

In fact, the UV protection of green vials exceeds the USP standards for blocking UV radiation passing through the vial. As a result, all prescriptions are protected from UV rays and the harmful effects that exposure to light can cause.

EcoloPharm launched the first generation of Ecolo-Vial in 2010 which was at the time the only eco-friendly vial on the market.

In 2015, with the help and feedbacks from pharmacists, we developed our 2nd generation vial: the Ecolo-Vial Hybrid,.

This second generation has been redesigned and improved to provide even greater child-resistance and easier-to-open for adults. We also reduced the plastic material now making Ecolo-Vial Hybrid the most eco-responsible vial on the market.

The Ecolo-Vial Hybrid protects better against moisture and the cap was redesigned to accommodate a sticker; allowing for the transmission of a personalized message or an action to be taken by patients (see below).

This is a legitimate concern. However, there may be cross-contamination between some medications and it is not advised to bring back any medication vial for refilling.

Our vials are fully recyclable and once reconditioned will benefit other manufacturers.

Unfortunately no. Because our products hold medication, we are subject to the very stringent standards of Health Canada. It is therefore not legal for EcoloPharm to manufacture products made from recycled plastic.

However, our vials are fully recyclable

The short answer is no. It is necessary to unravel certain myths or preconceived ideas about these three concepts and the confusion they bring. Although they may seem similar, the three terms actually refer to three very distinct concepts:

From the outset, it must be emphasized that there is still no fixed definition of what a bioplastic is. However, this term refers to materials of two types:

1. Plastics made of biobased material are derived from biomass and renewable resources such as plants. The interest raised by biosourced plastics refers precisely to the renewable nature of the supply of raw materials. This is the upstream of the product life cycle and it aims to reduce pollution at the source.
2. Plastics made of biodegradable materials which under ideal conditions are compostable. Biodegradation means degradation achieved through the action of living organisms such as bacteria or fungi. This refers to the end of life of plastic and it aims to reduce the pollution generated by the product once it is no longer useful.
   Some bioplastics have both characteristics: they are both biobased and biodegradable.
3. Not all bioplastics are biodegradable. Think of products that must last for a long period of time, such as water pipes or some interior parts of cars. There are also biodegradable plastics that come from fossil resources and have a petrochemical transformation.

In contrast, biodegradable bioplastics are typically used for disposable items (e.g., catering products such as dishes and straws).

However biodegradable bioplastics pose some major problems. They are not recyclable with "traditional" plastics and when they end up in your recycling bin and become contaminants!

In addition, biodegradation can be extremely slow if optimal conditions are not met. Our current facilities in Canada rarely meet the necessary conditions for full biodegradation and more often than not it is not achieved. Subsequently, the accumulation of harmful substances persisting in the environment contaminate our soil, water, and air and pose a significant risk.

These are the main reasons that prevent companies from using biodegradable plastics: the contamination of recyclable plastics and little chance of biodegradation.

We work closely with different vendors to keep abreast of industry innovations and evaluate various options available.

Ecodesign is the consideration and integration of all the environmental criteria necessary for the design of a product.

From the ideation phase of our products, and throughout their life cycle, we make sure we have the lowest environmental impact possible. From raw material extraction, product manufacturing and end-of-life, to distribution, use and recycling.

Do you want to know more? Check out our eco-design page

Like all our products, our eco-friendly medication vials are available at your wholesaler

Not currently. Though. we are working on developing a vial that will soon be compatible with ScriptPro robots: the Ecolo-Pro.

It’s easy! We have a pre-written letter that you can print out and give to your pharmacist. Be sure to give this letter to the pharmacy owner since they decide what products are used. Pharmacists listen to their patients and you have the power to change and participate in the greening of your local pharmacy!