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Sign upHolyGrail 2.0
Marking plastic packaging with digital watermarks to enable automatic sorting in recycle centres
01.
Identification
HolyGrail 2.0 aims to improve post-consumer recycling using digital watermarks, with the aim of moving closer to a circular economy.
HolyGrail has been a full-value chain pre-competitive collaboration project (29 members - see picture) investigating how tagging of packaging can have a drastic impact on more accurate sorting and high-quality recycling. The key precepts behind the project are that, once packaging is designed for circularity and the collection challenge (which includes putting right collection system in place and consumer participation) are solved, high quality sorting is a crucial step to improving current recycling rates and ensuring better recyclate enters the packaging stream. Digital watermarks are basically “imperceptible codes” applied to artwork/design of a package or directly into the mold. No special ink nor special printing equipment is required to implement. The "barcode of recycling" has been worked within the New Plastics Economy from the Ellen MacArthur foundation and is now entering a second phase (HolyGrail 2.0), focussing on more brand owners and retailers to implement Digital Watermarks in their packaging. This will allow waste manufacturers to invest in add-on modules (linked to existing sorters) that can read these codes, allowing them to sort/recycle much better than today. Currently over 170 cross-value chain members have shown interest to participate, and the project will be chartered under an EU association that has created a Platform to further develop and run a National test market. Once packaging is designed for circularity, the collection challenge and consumer participation are solved, high quality sorting is indeed crucial to increase current poor recycling rates. By improved sorting, quality and quantities of recycled materials will be drastically increased, thereby helping the transition to a Circular Economy as more and better recyclate can enter the marketplace. HolyGrail has mainly been established to bring innovation in the field of sorting technologies. One of the investigated technologies (Digital Watermarks) has great potential to also bring disruption into other fields, such as consumer engagement and retail, enabled by the creation of "smart/intelligent" packaging.
Sector
Application
Target client profile
Tags
Label Date
January 2020
From
United States
Maturity stage
Prototype testing in the real world
Sectors - Value chain - Application
Sectors
Applications
Design, Power & Produce
Package & Distribute
Use & Efficiency
Valorize & Restore
Value Chain Steps
- Video
- /
- Images
02.
The environmental benefits
- •By increasing recycling rates drastically (enabled by better sorting through Digital Watermarks), CO2 savings of 7.48 million tons could be generated
- • Intelligent packaging can contribute to realize circular economies faster, by using the intelligence with consumers (consumer engagement/info on how to recycle) and sorting/recycling centers
03.
The Financial benefits
- •Reach payback in 10 months
- •Economic benefits are generated across the value chain
04.
Activity Region
- Map
- /
- List
Europe
Ukraine, Slovakia, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Sweden, Russia, Romania, Poland, Norway, Republic of Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, Jersey, Iceland, Isle of Man, Ireland, Hungary, Guernsey, United Kingdom, Faroe Islands, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Czechia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Åland, Kosovo, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Serbia, Portugal, Netherlands, Malta, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Monaco, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Gibraltar, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Albania, Andorra,
North america
United States, El Salvador, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Greenland, Costa Rica, Canada, Belize, Bermuda,
- Headquarters
- Activity
05.
Implementation Stories
06.
Company Profile
Procter & Gamble - P&G
P&G was founded over 180 years ago as a soap and candle company.
View company profile
Headquarters
Cincinnati, OH 45202, USA
09.
Complementary solutions
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The information set out above, is solely for the purposes of information and the Solar Impulse Foundation does not provide any guarantee as to its authenticity, completeness or accuracy. This information does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to buy into, transact or to enter into any agreement with any of the parties or persons mentioned above. Potential investors or interested parties are solely responsible for their investment or business decisions and for performing any due diligence required by the circumstances.