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The Rector of the Goce Delchev University (UGD) in Shtip, Prof. Dr. Dejan Mirakovski, the Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University, Prof. Dr. Milka Zdravkovska, and the CEO and MB President of Alkaloid AD Skopje, Zhivko Mukaetov, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation aimed at realizing joint projects to enhance and broaden their mutual cooperation and expertise. In addition to study programs, current internship programs, and collaboration on specialist papers and doctoral dissertations, the Goce Delchev University in Shtip and Alkaloid will launch a project dedicated to sustainable packaging for the company’s pharmaceutical products, to be carried out over a period of five years in three phases.

Specifically, this project is designated to comply with the new European Union regulation on sustainable packaging [Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR)], which came into force on February 11 of this year. This regulation requires that pharmaceutical industries provide recyclable packaging for their products by 2030, with products lacking this option being prohibited for marketing in the EU and beyond. By 2035, 55% of all pharmaceutical packaging is required to be recyclable, and by 2038, the EU markets will exclusively permit the placement of pharmaceutical products whose packaging is rated A or B in terms of recyclability.

Given the stringent regulatory framework governing the pharmaceutical industry, the involvement of the academic community is essential for the efficient and comprehensive execution of this extensive and complex project. The projects within the Memorandum of Cooperation are led by the Global Development Department and the Quality Control Department from Alkaloid’s side, while from the Goce Delchev University in Shtip, in addition to the Rector and the Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Docent Dr. Ivana Mitrevska and Assistant Dino Karpicharov have also been included as persons responsible for the overall implementation of the activities.

The goal of this sustainable packaging project for pharmaceutical products is to minimize environmental impact while maximizing resource utilization – a key objective of the circular economy and a central element of the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) policy, both of which are embedded into Alkaloid’s corporate practice.