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Aldi Tests Packaging Possessing Digital Watermarks
Retailers and the packaging industry want to improve the separation of plastic packaging. For this reason and as part of a study by the Holy Grail 2.0 initiative, Aldi is testing private label product packaging with digital watermarks. The aim is to achieve high-quality recycling.
They are the size of a postage stamp but invisible to the human eye: digital watermarks printed on packaging. The invisible codes are intended to help plastics to be better separated and recycled during disposal. For the first time, the European Brands Association (AIM) is testing how well this works in practice under real market conditions with its Holy Grail 2.0 project. 130 manufacturers, retailers and recycling companies are involved. The aim of the Holy Grail 2.0 initiative is to enable better waste sorting through new identification systems in consumer goods packaging.
The stamp-sized QR codes on the packaging are not visible to the human eye.Yogurt and Kefir Cups Put to the Test
Aldi Nord and Süd are also members of the initiative. They began their first tests in January. 18 different yoghurt and kefir packs made of polypropylene plastic from the Milsani private label have now been fitted with the invisible codes, they say. These contain the article number, information about the manufacturer and the packaging materials. After disposal, special cameras in the recycling plant read the data. The information is used to direct the various materials into the correct waste streams to promote high-quality recycling.
A key challenge in plastics recycling is the lack of standardized recycling infrastructures for collecting, sorting, and recycling plastic packaging. The Holy Grail 2.0 initiative aims to test the technical feasibility of digital watermarks in order to promote the sorting of plastic packaging and thus improve its recyclability. With the sorting study, the initiative is currently entering its third phase in which retailers participate.
The use of recyclates in private label product packaging is one of several ambitious goals that Aldi has set itself in terms of packaging. “In order to create the conditions for high-quality recyclates on the market, as a member of the Holy Grail 2.0 initiative, we are striving to sort as much material as possible in the best possible way and thus make an important contribution to the circular economy,” says Alexander Markov, Managing Director National Supply Chain Management at Aldi Süd.
In 2016, consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble launched the “Holy Grail” project in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as part of the New Plastics Economy. The project was led by P & G until 2019 and included several studies on improved sorting, for example using fluorescent markers or digital watermarks.
Packaging Expert Reported at FACHPACK
“Holy Grail” was then followed by “Holy Grail 2.0” in 2020. The follow-up project focuses exclusively on digital watermarks for intelligent sorting and is being driven by the industry association AIM with the support of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste initiative. The semi-industrial test run with more than 100 products started in Europe in September 2021. At the PACKBOX forum at FACHPACK 2022, Jürgen Dornheim, sustainability and packaging expert at Procter & Gamble, reported on the “lighthouse project”, in which P & G continues to participate.
Digital watermarks can also be applied mechanically, explained Dornheim. No printing inks are required for this. However, the focus lies primarily on labels as a material basis. Tiny QR codes are hidden in the print. These codes are distributed over the entire surface of the packaging so that, for example, some of the codes can be recognized during sorting in case the packaging is damaged in the waste garbage can. According to Dornheim, test phases have shown that up to 99 percent of the watermarks are recognized during sorting. This was an extremely good rate, commented Nicola Kopp-Rostek, Managing Director of the flexographic printing trade association DFTA, who moderated the forum.
FACHPACK 2024 will also present and discuss such current topics in the packaging industry, which also affect retailers and recycling companies. At the exhibitors' stands as well as in the PACKBOX expert forum and the INNOVATIONBOX exhibitor forum.
