Digital watermarks for effective recycling of plastic packaging.
We have been closely following this trend since our first attempts at digital watermarking for smart packaging. We ourselves were involved in the early implementations of the NETTO brand discount with the Digimarc and various design projects. However, the full potential of the idea only unfolds in the network – along the entire value chain. With the so-called “HolyGrail 2.0” (or 3.0 or 4.0), a technology that will make a decisive contribution to the circular economy will already be ready for series production “tomorrow”.
The HolyGrail 2.0 digital watermarking initiative, driven by AIM – European Brands Association and supported by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, is a pilot project aimed at proving the technical feasibility of digital watermarking for accurate sorting of packaging waste, as well as the economic viability of the business model at scale. Updates on the status of Phase 2.0 of HolyGrail can also be found here.
Digital watermarks are imperceptible codes the size of a postage stamp that cover the surface of a consumer product package and carry a variety of attributes. Once the packages enter a waste sorting facility, the digital watermark should be able to be detected and decoded by a high-resolution camera at the sorting facility, which is then able to sort the packages into the appropriate streams based on the transmitted characteristics (e.g., food vs. non-food). This would lead to better and more accurate sorting streams and thus higher quality recyclates that would benefit the entire packaging value chain.
More information about the Holygrail 2.0
Click here for the presentation on Phase 2.0
