Coram CVS Specialty ditches Styrofoam for paper-based drug packaging, cutting plastic waste

USA – Coram CVS Specialty Infusion Services has replaced expanded polystyrene coolers with paper-based, recyclable packaging for temperature-sensitive medicines, showing stronger temperature control and durability while eliminating materials that take years to decompose in landfill.

The company supplies specialty infusion and nutrition therapies for patients with chronic conditions.

Previously, medicines were delivered in EPS coolers that patients struggled to handle, store, and discard. The new format is smaller, easier to flatten, and can be recycled or composted.

Better for Patients, Better for the Planet

Much of the system uses a “nested box” approach, allowing shipments to be combined into a single box rather than multiple containers.

For patients managing chronic conditions, this means fewer packages to track, less waste to dispose of, and a simpler unboxing experience. The company has introduced the packaging first at pharmacies in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and California.

Testing That Proved Paper Superior

The updated packaging was tested against existing EPS materials and showed stronger results in temperature control and durability.

This is critical for specialty infusion therapies, where temperature excursions can compromise drug efficacy.

The paper system maintains required temperature ranges while eliminating “cooler clutter” that patients previously struggled to store.

A Win for CVS Health’s 2030 Strategy

Jenny McColloch, CVS Health chief sustainability officer, explained that replacing difficult-to-recycle materials with compostable alternatives reduces waste, improves the patient experience, and removes thousands of pounds of plastic each year.

She noted that this innovation reflects CVS Health’s commitment to embedding sustainability across its business and advancing its Healthy 2030 impact strategy.

Efficiency Gains Beyond Sustainability

The nested box approach reduces shipping volume, allowing more packages per truck and lowering transport emissions.

The smaller format improves warehouse storage density and reduces handling weight for pharmacy staff and delivery drivers.

For Coram, which operates one of the largest specialty infusion networks in the US, these efficiency gains multiply across thousands of daily shipments.

When Medical Packaging Learns New Tricks

Thousands of pounds of plastic. Years of landfill decomposition. Patient frustration with bulky coolers. Coram’s switch to paper addresses all three.

The new packaging keeps medicines cold, fits in household recycling bins, and arrives in a single nested box. Sometimes the most sustainable solution is also the most patient-friendly.

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