HolyGrail Digital Watermarks
Country: Belgium
Category: Packaging Materials and Components
The integration of Digital Watermarks into a package (either 2D in print of 3D mold embossing) create an additional functionality, eg create intelligent packaging. This intelligence can than be used during the full life cycle of a package including sorting/recycling, thereby increasing recycling rates contributing to a Circular Economy.
The project originated in New Plastics Economy, and now continues to be worked as a cross-value chain initiative under AIM (full project description with members on https://www.aim.be/priorities/digital-watermarks/). The project was overall winner in the 2019 Sustainability Awards and was also featured on the BBC (https://www.bbc.com/news/av/business-50335737/could-invisible-barcodes-revolutionise-recycling).