The "Holy Grail 2.0 - Digital Watermarks for Accurate Sorting and High-Quality Recycling" initiative for plastics, which BASF has now also joined, already has more than 120 companies and organizations from the packaging industry value chain, according to its patron AIM (European Brands Association), the European association of brand manufacturers. Plans are underway to launch a pilot project to demonstrate feasibility and economic benefits on a large scale, according to AIM. In research to improve post-consumer waste recycling under the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy program, digital watermarks have proven to be the most promising technology, it said. These are applied to the surface of consumer product packaging and imprinted with information. The postage-stamp-sized watermarks with imperceptible codes can carry a variety of attributes, such as manufacturer, origin, type of plastic used and composition for multilayer products, and food or non-food use, according to the information. Commenting on BASF's involvement in Holy Grail 2.0, Dr. Achim Sties, BASF senior vice president, Performance Chemicals Europe, said, "When plastics are properly sorted, we can provide a suitable additive package to reuse them for demanding applications. Therefore, we are pleased to support HolyGrail 2.0 in optimizing the recyclability of plastic packaging."

 

Sources:

• plastverarbeiter.de, neue-verpackung.de (4.5.2021)
• Image: © AIM