As the world becomes more aware of environmental challenges, many industries—including packaging—are seeking ways to provide more sustainable products to every stakeholder involved in the consumption, regulation, or production processes.
Digitization is everywhere and—in many cases—makes processes easier and more effective. Digital watermarks are one of the strategies packaging producers use to make sorting household waste simpler and more effective while also helping to improve challenges to the circular economy.
Many of us were told from a young age that recycling is an important part of our efforts to protect the environment. When done right, recycling can have positive effects, but there are weaknesses in the current system.
This is for three main reasons:
New technologies have been developed to address these issues. Some plastic producers have developed facilities that turn plastic waste into liquids and gases to be used to make new plastics, allowing plastic producers to profit while making good use of old plastics.
Another helpful technology is digital watermarks. These watermarks act similarly to QR codes so that scanners located in sorting facilities “read” the product to sort it properly.
Digital watermarks are small watermarks applied to packaging labels or embossed into the plastic. The watermarks contain codes with information about the type of plastic used as well as other relevant information, such as what the product is made of, what colorants it contains, and whether it needs to be separated from other recyclable materials. In the recycling facility, high-resolution cameras read the watermarks to track and sort the packaging.
In an era where sustainability is a necessity, implementing digital watermarking into your brand can benefit you in the following ways:
Digital watermarks can benefit every stakeholder involved in the consumption, regulation, or production of plastic, including:
Digital watermarks are an indicator of where the future is headed. Major players in the industry are evaluating the use of digital watermarks to improve sorting abilities and increase access for more communities.
We’re also seeing major pushes by organizations, governments, and institutions to implement digital watermarks. A few significant organizations and initiatives to follow are:
In the corporate world, a major brand integrated Digimarc barcode detection and data validation to improve quality control without compromising quality in the printing process. Digimarc has selected France to be the first country to implement the technology into three brands: Henkel, L’Oréal, and Procter & Gamble. These brands will add digital watermarks to their high-density polyethylene rigid packaging portfolios. Discarded packaging with digital watermarks will be collected and taken to Veolia’s PlastiLoop Brenouille facility to be sorted by the watermark detection unit from nonenhanced packaging waste.
Ultimately, the goal is to test the process in real-world situations to improve sorting, gain valuable insights into the waste stream, and eventually broaden the services to other countries.
Digital watermarking is the future of recycling, trackability, and improving the circular economy. With the AeroFlexx Pak, you can take advantage of our 360-degree design capabilities that allow for customized design and watermarking.
Find out more about how the AeroFlexx Pak features resonate with consumers by reviewing our free consumer research deck, “A Better Liquid Packaging Solution.”