Belgian consumers won’t notice, but the packaging of some of their favourite snacks will carry imperceptible digital watermarks later this year. The aim is to separate food packaging from packaging for cosmetics, hygiene products, clothing and other non-food items. It’s the first time that such tests will be carried out on a national scale using packaging from products that has been purchased and thrown away by real consumers.
Challenge: recyclate for food packaging
The European PPWR legislation requires all food packaging to contain at least 10% recycled material by 2030. For plastic types such as PET, the most commonly used type of plastic for bottled beverages, this is usually already the case today. For flexible packaging, however, there is no recyclate currently available that is suitable for food applications. Polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE) foils and bags are sorted and recycled separately, but it’s not possible to distinguish between packaging that contained food and packaging from non-food applications. As a result, the recyclate isn’t deemed safe to be recycled into food packaging. In other words, it is reused, but not in circular, one-on-one applications. Although chemical recycling is expected to play an important role in achieving the European target, it is important to investigate the possibilities of novel technologies, including digital watermarks as mechanical recycling is still the most efficient way to generate recyclate today.
Digital watermarks on Belgian snack packaging
Fost Plus is setting up a pilot project together with Digimarc, the global leader in digital watermarking, as part of the recently launched HolyGrail 2030 – Circular Packaging Initiative. HolyGrail 2030 is an initiative driven by AIM, the European Brands Association. The aim is to add a digital watermark to flexible food packaging made of PP so that it can be sorted separately from the rest of the packaging in the blue bag. After the operational tests, economic viability will be assessed by investigating the applications of the recyclate from this specific stream. Additionally, insights in used and sorted packaging at product reference level allows the analysis of consumer sorting behaviour and helps inform packaging and sustainability strategies. The objective is to ultimately prove the business case for broad market adoption.
What will happen exactly?
- Step 1. Packaging from companies including Ferrero, Mondelēz and Pepsico that is intended for Belgian store shelves will be enhanced by an imperceptible digital watermark in the coming months.
- Step 2. The consumer sorts the used packaging into the blue bag. After collection, its contents are sorted into 16 material streams at one of the six Belgian sorting centres.
- Step 3. As from early 2026, the sorted stream of flexible PP packaging leaves for the Hündgen sorting centre in Germany (200 km from Brussels). This centre was already equipped with specific technology to detect imperceptible watermarks as part of the HolyGrail 2.0 project, the precursor to HolyGrail 2030.
- Step 4. The PP stream is sorted into food versus non-food packaging (including packaging without a watermark).
- Step 5. The food stream – packaging that has contained food – then leaves for recycling with the objective to test different recycling technologies so as to obtain food-grade recycled plastics.
We are exploring different scenarios to recycle flexible packaging such as crisp bags into recyclate for new food packaging. Digital watermarking is one path towards implementing economically and sustainably sound technologies. These tests with films and foils are a first. It’s no coincidence that we’re doing this in Belgium. Our high-tech sorting centres already ensure very pure flows, and by now also adding watermark recognition, we’re taking the final step towards truly circular recycling.
Retailers, brand owners and recyclers that think they can make a meaningful contribution to this project are invited to contact Mikaël Vandeskelde (mikael.vandeskelde@fostplus.be) for more information about participating in the project.