Sonoco accurately sorts containers in HolyGrail 2.0 digital watermarking trials

21 Jun 2022 --- Sonoco has participated in European recycling trials showing that digital watermarks yield accurate packaging sortation, distinguishing between food and non-food applications. The HolyGrail 2.0 initiative aims to assess whether digital watermarks can enable better sorting and higher-quality recycling rates for packaging in the EU. 

After recent trials in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sonoco says it can demonstrate high compatibility of its rigid paper containers using this technology across all sizes and material specifications.

The ability to distinguish between food and non-food packaging is increasingly important as circular economy targets become more ambitious and demand for recycled content grows.

The first HolyGrail 2.0 sorting prototype was successfully validated in March this year following semi-industrial trials using NIR and digital watermark detection to sort packaging waste with 99% success, presenting the potential to develop new, more granular post-consumer recycling streams.

Trialing digital watermarks 
Holy Grail 2.0 is driven by AIM – the European Brands Association, and powered by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste.

Currently, more than 160 partners across the value chain are working together to refine and commercialize this concept. Sonoco, a global packaging company, is a member of the HolyGrail 2.0 initiative, helping to prove the viability of digital watermarking for sorting packaging waste and the business case at scale, likely with global implications.

The HolyGrail 2.0 initiative helps to prove the viability of digital watermarking for sorting packaging waste.Trials in Copenhagen found that using digital watermarks on packaging resulted in 98-100% being correctly detected, with a subsequent total ejection rate of 90-100%.

During the live trial in a mix of five different packaging types of various brands, 96% of Sonoco’s rigid paper containers were correctly detected and ejected. These results demonstrate an additional approach to sort Sonoco’s EnviroCan rigid paper containers into the paper recycling stream.

“At Sonoco, we recognize the critical importance of developing [environmentally] sustainable packaging solutions that will protect and preserve our planet for future generations,” says Jeff Schuetz, staff vice president for consumer technology at Sonoco.

Advantages over conventional sorting
Imperceptible postage stamp-sized, digital watermarks on packaging make it possible to effectively sort packaging material into specific waste streams. Conventional sorting technologies cannot reliably identify multi-material packaging, so they can end up in the wrong recycling streams or drop to the refuse stream altogether.

Sonoco says with this new digital watermarking technology, it becomes possible to separate materials more accurately into distinct streams, even in cases of multi-material packaging. 

“We are proud to be a member of the HolyGrail 2.0 initiative and are pleased with this successful trial to further our [environmentally] sustainable packaging portfolio. We are committed to advancing sortation and recycling of packaging of all types,” says Schuetz.

In other news, Sonoco has agreed to acquire Ball Metalpack, a leading metal packaging manufacturer for food and household products and reportedly the largest aerosol producer in North America, for US$1.35 billion. 

Ball Metalpack is a joint venture owned by Platinum Equity (51%) and Ball Corporation (49%). The business was formed in 2018 and is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, US.

Edited by Natalie Schwertheim 

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