September 05, 2024
We’re excited to share that Digimarc’s digital watermarking technology has been successfully validated for advanced sorting of flexible packaging, following rigorous industrial trials conducted under the HolyGrail 2.0 initiative. These trials took place at Hündgen Entsorgung’s material recovery facility in Germany, where the focus was on separating hygiene-grade LDPE films and food-grade PP films using Digimarc’s digital watermark technology in an add-on module from Pellenc ST.
Digimarc’s detection software achieved SKU-level identification through digital watermarks, effectively sorting the desired materials. The results of the trials were outstanding, with detection efficiencies exceeding 95% under typical conditions. This performance is especially notable since flexible packaging is often crushed or crumpled during collection to an extent which prevents other advanced sorting technologies, like AI-based object recognition, from achieving high efficacy in typical conditions. Even under extreme conditions, including heavy contamination, multiple baling/unbaling steps, aging, and high throughput of 2.5 tons per hour, the detection efficiency with Digimarc digital watermarks remained at an impressive 90%.
These results not only validate the maturity of our technology but also demonstrate its potential to significantly advance the circularity of flexible packaging, particularly in food-contact applications. The success of these trials proves the reliability of digital watermarks as the most market-ready solution for achieving the EU’s recycling goals. It also presents a compelling case for countries and brands to accelerate adoption of this innovative solution.
Digimarc is committed to leading the way in sustainable packaging, improving both the quality and quantity of recycled plastic materials. Our technology’s industrial-scale validation sets the stage for widespread implementation, delivering both environmental benefits and business value, including never-before-seen data about the waste stream itself.
We invite brands, recyclers, and producer responsibility organizations (PROs) to learn more about our market-ready solution, and join us in shaping a more sustainable future for packaging.
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