The Digital Watermarks Initiative HolyGrail 2.0 has conducted new waste sorting trials and has found that sorting volumes were “remarkable,” highlighting the efficiency of digital watermarking technology for packaging waste management. Digital watermarks (DW) are postage stamp-sized codes that can be printed on packaging and carry information like material type. DW can be detected by high-resolution cameras on sorting lines, enabling extremely accurate sorting and increased recycling rates. DW’s biggest advantage over alternatives, such as Object Recognition (OR), is their proven effectiveness for flexible plastic packaging, and the additional use cases they provide beyond advanced sorting, Martyn Tickner, chief advisor of Circular Solutions at The Alliance to End Plastic Waste, tells Packaging Insights.
