Packaging group Mondi has launched 'HolyGrail 2.0', a new programme aimed at testing the effectiveness of digital watermarking in large scale waste segregation.
The company has teamed up with the European Brands Association, AIM, to launch the new technology, which it believes has the potential to revolutionise the way waste is sorted and recycled.
The technology involves the use of postage-stamp-sized watermarks on packaging, which are not visible to the naked eye.
More Accurate Separation
HolyGrail 2.0 enables a more accurate separation of materials compared with conventional sensor technologies.
It allows the segregation of packaging into new waste steams, which in turn will result in the development of enhanced recycling technologies.
The project, facilitated by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, currently has over 85 partners across the value chain that are working together to refine and commercialise this concept.
'Circular Economy'
Graeme Smith, head of product sustainability for Flexible Packaging and Engineered Materials at Mondi, said, “At Mondi, we believe packaging should be sustainable by design and we see the need to improve the sorting and separation of packaging waste as part of a circular economy. Digital watermarks have the potential to make this a reality.
“Improved recycling will increase the value of packaging waste, driving higher collection rates and making it a valuable commercial resource for the future.”
Mondi, a founding member of the Pioneer Project HolyGrail, continues to play an active role in validating the technology through various measures such as conducting trials with partners across the value chain.
It plans to conduct full-scale industrial trials of HolyGrail 2.0 with key customers shortly, the company added.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
