Belgium has become the first European country to launch a large-scale trial to distinguish flexible food packaging collected via the PMD bag (Belgium's collection bag for plastic, metal and beverage cartons) at a non-food packaging sorting facility. This trial utilises technology that employs invisible digital watermarks on the packaging.
In collaboration with companies such as Mondelēz International, Ferrero, PepsiCo and Pladis, Fost Plus, the Belgian organisation for the recycling and reuse of household packaging, is coordinating this innovative project. The technology is based on invisible digital watermarks applied to packaging. These watermarks enable sorting facilities to distinguish between flexible food packaging and non-food packaging. „It's comparable to a QR code that is invisible to the human eye but carries information about what the packaging once contained,“ explains Philippe Gendebien, Business Innovation Manager at Fost Plus. When packaging arrives at a sorting centre via the PMD bag, cameras on the sorting line can read this code and automatically assign the item to the correct waste stream.
„While we already sort packaging into 16 material streams today, this technology allows us to take an additional step – namely, to differentiate between food and non-food packaging.“
Philippe Gendebien, Business Innovation Manager at Fost Plus
Strict food safety regulations
The distinction between food and non-food packaging is crucial, as stringent regulations govern the use of recycled plastic in food packaging to ensure food safety. Until now, only recycled PET, originating from beverage bottles or plastic trays, has been permitted for reuse in food packaging. The introduction of digital watermarks could revolutionise this process, significantly increasing the recycling rate for flexible packaging.
Philippe Gendebien: „At least 95 percent of PET packaging sorted from the PMD bin was originally also food packaging, which is why the recycled plastic produced from it is also food-grade. This has been far more difficult with other flexible packaging until now, as current technology in sorting facilities is unable to separate flexible packaging that has contained food from packaging for non-food products. Through this additional step with digital watermarks, we want to help close the loop and turn crisp packets and biscuit wrappers back into food packaging.“
European Goals and HolyGrail 2030
This technology is being tested as part of the European HolyGrail 2030 – Circular Packaging Consortium Program, supported by the European Brands Association AIM. The goal is to explore the potential of advanced sorting technologies and achieve the EU's recycling targets. The initiative is part of the new European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which mandates that by 2030, plastic packaging for food must contain at least 10 percent recycled material.
A step towards a circular economy
In Belgium, sorting trials are being led by Fost Plus. The sorted film bales are transported from Belgium to the sorting centre of the German company Hündgen Entsorgung, which is equipped with special high-resolution cameras capable of reading the digital watermarks – thanks to a technology developed by Digimarc and Pellenc ST. This is also the very first nationwide trial in Europe to use post-consumer flexible packaging.
Philippe Gendebien stresses: „Belgium is already a pioneer in packaging recycling, and with ‚HolyGrail 2030 – Circular Packaging‘, we are taking another step forward. We are not testing the technology in a lab, but with packaging that consumers actually use and discard. This is the only way to find out if it works in practice, where packaging can be crumpled, damaged, or dirty. If the trial is successful, it will open up new opportunities to achieve European targets for recycled materials in food packaging and further strengthen the Belgian recycling chain.“
Source: Fost Plus
