Henkel, Korozo Group and R-Cycle trial digital product passports for supply chain improvements

Henkel, Korozo Group, and R-Cycle are investigating the packaging supply chain benefits of installing digital product passports (DPP) as the industry is shifting its material usage to comply with environmental sustainability demands and legislative changes. 

In the partnership, Henkel is implementing DPP on its packaging, with the support of flexible packaging converter Korozo Group and R-Cycle, a platform based on open standards for operating DPPs to ensure packaging traceability. 

Henkel uses its Loctite Liofol solvent-free adhesive to laminate stand-up pouches. The laminate is characterized by its chemical and thermal resistance, making it suitable for aggressive filling goods, pasteurization, and high-speed packaging lines with a high seal temperature, according to Henkel. 

Each package produced with Loctite Liofol is given a QR code that is linked with the R-Cycle DPP. 

R-Cycle explains that its DPP QR code ensures that technical data, safety information, and environmental aspects can be accessed directly. Henkel is working with R-Cycle to extend this traceability, aiming to optimize the disposal and recyclability of the product.

Dr. Benedikt Brenken, director at R-Cycle, explains: “The application with Henkel shows very well how relevant information on the packaging components used — in this case, the adhesive — can be recorded in the DPP and made available throughout the entire product life cycle.” 

“This way, we create a defined level of transparency and easy traceability along the value chain. We see this as a decisive advantage regarding the constantly growing information demand.”

Driving innovation with DPP

Henkel records the carbon emissions generated in the manufacture and use of the lamination adhesive in the DPP. This information is critical to complying with the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation requirements and to assessing the product’s carbon footprint throughout its entire life cycle.

The information recorded in the DPP enables end-of-life companies to properly manage the disposed packaging when it arrives at the sorting and recycling center, contributing to circularity through recycling.

As a supplier and brand owner, Henkel can cover a substantial share of the value chain.

Philippe Blank, head of Circular Economy at Henkel, says: “We are on track to be able to offer each customer a sustainable product that is either derived from sustainable sources or has an outstanding recyclability profile.” 

“Eighty-percent of a product’s environmental footprint is defined in the design phase. We use our knowledge to advise our customers at an early stage.”

Industry material shifts

The product carbon footprint of individual components and of the product overall has a particularly crucial role to play here. 

In this connection, Henkel has established extensive capacities to identify savings potential and provide reliable data for DPP and reporting requirements. These data are especially relevant to the recyclability of packaging and the obligation to use recycled raw materials.

“We align our work with leading assessment methods and design guidelines and are actively working on new test methods,” says Blank. 

“The packaging industry is currently undergoing a profound change that is resulting in a significant shift in the materials used. These changes are also impacting existing recycling processes. The goal is to close the gaps through the active R&D of new test methods in order to prepare Henkel and its customers for pending legislative changes.”

“We believe that the DPP offers a great opportunity to promote the circular economy by providing better recycling information, increasing transparency in the supply chain, and strengthening the trust of our customers and partners in our products,” adds Blank. 

The partnering companies predict that In the years ahead, DPP will play a central role in the packaging industry as a key lever for driving innovation and increasing competitiveness. 

In addition to sustainable product development, DPP is said to pave the way for creating new business models based on digitalization and a circular packaging material economy.