In 2019, over 130 companies and organisations from the complete packaging value chain joined forces under the auspices of AIM - European Brands Association for the cross-value chain initiative HolyGrail 2.0, with an ambitious aim to prove the economic viability of the business case at large scale as well as the technical viability of digital watermarks for accurate sorting of packaging waste.

"The 3 key ingredients here are innovation, sustainability and digital, combined to achieve the objective of the Green Deal towards a clean, circular and climate neutral economy." - Michelle Gibbons, Director General at AIM.

Our Wipak Digimarc experts have been actively supporting this pilot project as contributors to the working group. Digimarc digital watermark technology is well-known to our specialist Wipak Digimarc team, owning years of experience and the successful implementation of almost 5000 Digimarc-enhanced packaging concepts in the retail sector.

What are digital watermarks?

Digital watermarks are imperceptible codes, the size of a postage stamp, covering the 360-degree surface of consumer goods packaging. They are digital carriers for a wide range of data such as manufacturer, SKUs, types of plastics, and compositions for multilayer objects. Once a packaging has entered a waste sorting facility, digital watermarks can be detected and decoded by standard high-resolution cameras on the sorting line, which then is able to sort the packaging into corresponding streams, achieving higher quality recyclates.

What will the project achieve?

By identifying packaging materials with greater accuracy, more efficient sorting and higher-quality recycling can be achieved in waste management systems. Digital watermark technology opens new possibilities that are currently not feasible with existing recycling technologies. This concept was first studied under the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy programme, which investigated different innovations to improve post-consumer recycling.

As of November 2021, semi-industrial trials are now underway for HolyGrail 2.0 with AIM, the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, and the City of Copenhagen. Around 125 000 pieces of packaging representing up to 260 different stock-keeping units (SKUs) were tested at the Amager Resource Centre (ARC) in Copenhagen for several parameters, including the speed and accuracy of the system to ensure its ability to stand the pressures of full-scale industrial operations. In sorting, digital watermarks have helped identify packaging on an SKU level at hundreds of pieces per minute and have enabled the separation of food and non-food films with a detection efficiency of up to 95% during these trials. With this milestone, we are one step closer to more precise identification and sorting of plastic packaging waste with digital watermarks.

Digimarc technology is effective to the extent that any camera can detect the digital watermarks - even those on smartphones and devices. In the future, digital watermarks could also help consumers better sort their waste immediately at home, with all the information they need at their fingertips.

The first half of 2022 will see developments on a much larger scale in Phase III of the project, where digital watermark-enhanced products will be introduced by brand owners and retailers in Denmark, France and Germany for in-market demonstrations and industrial-scale trials with functional prototypes deployed in commercial sorting and recycling facilities.

Watch a virtual tour of the Amager Resource Centre (ARC) in Copenhagen & discover the semi-industrial test phase of the Digital Watermarks Initiative HolyGrail 2.0:

Watch below for more on the HolyGrail 2.0 Phase II Semi-Industrial Test preparations:

Find out about digital watermarks and HolyGrail 2.0 from AIM and the Alliance to End Plastic Waste.

Digimarc Platform creator, Digimarc Corporation, announced it has won the “Top Supplier Retail 2020” award from the EHI Retail Institute for adding Digimarc Barcode to the private label packaging of Netto Marken-Discount. Netto is a leading discount retailer in Germany.

Wipak has been part of this effective collaboration by being involved in the process of adding Digimarc Barcode to Netto private label packaging with our pre-media and print experts.  

Digimarc Barcode is an imperceptible barcode that is used as a part of the artwork of the packaging. The barcode is repeated across the packaging, which is why it can be scanned at any angle. This increases checkout speed and accuracy. The process of searching for conventional barcodes has  been improved this way.

If Digimarc Barcode interests you and you would like to redo your packaging scanning process more efficient, don’t hesitate to contact us at digimarc@wipak.com.

Click HERE to see a video of Digimarc on our LinkedIn.

At a time when digitization is becoming increasingly important in retail, and statistics suggest that more than 90 percent of consumers now use their phones in the shopping process, Wipak is leading the way in intelligent digital packaging by offering Digimarc Barcode, an advanced barcode, imperceptible to consumers.

Wipak, which specializes in high barrier films, has been working in close collaboration with US-based technology company, Digimarc, since 2013, pioneering innovative solutions and packaging applications which utilise Digimarc Barcode.

Digimarc Barcode is nearly imperceptible and can permeate the entire package, making it easy for consumers to scan large portions of the package to access product information and other engaging digital content. It is also easily read by retail barcode scanners, freeing up cashiers from having to search for the UPC barcode. Products with Digimarc Barcode also increase manufacturing efficiencies and reduce waste in the supply chain.

“We are excited to work with Wipak and appreciate their commitment to innovative, next generation packaging,” said Heidi Dethloff, vice president of marketing, Digimarc. “Connected packaging will add greater value to retailers, brands and consumers. Digimarc Barcode provides many benefits ranging from increased consumer engagement to improved store efficiency and supply chain management.”

To integrate Digimarc barcode into a pack, Wipak is able to generate the required codes by themselves. Following this, Wipak incorporates the codes into its gravure, flexo- or award-winning ProDirect® inkjet digital printing technology to create the finished product.

“Our long-standing relationship with Digimarc has seen us become true specialists in bringing the technology to the packaging market, and in creating new and unique concepts. Combined with our premium quality print designs and state-of-the-art printing technology, we offer our customers cutting-edge solutions and real added value.”

To find out more about Wipak’s intelligent packaging solutions, please contact the Creative Team from Wipak’s Innovation Center at digimarc@wipak.com. You can also find your local sales representative from our Contact Us -section.