Henkel is one of more than 85 companies and organizations of the new cross-value chain initiative “HolyGrail 2.0”, launched by AIM, the European Brands Association. As a pilot project, Henkel will explore this innovative digital watermark technology for a new product range of its fabric softener brand Vernel.

Based on the initial HolyGrail project under the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the “HolyGrail 2.0” initiative will take place on a much greater scale and scope. This will include the launch of an industrial pilot in order to prove the viability of digital watermarks technologies for more accurate sorting of packaging and higher-quality recycling, as well as the business case at large scale.

“We at Henkel are constantly exploring new possibilities to enhance the recyclability and sustainability features of our product packaging. In addition, we promote projects and initatives that aim to drive innovation in packaging development and accelerate the transition to a circular economy,” said Dr. Thorsten Leopold, Head of International Packaging Development Home Care at Henkel.

Digital watermarks perform like a barcode invisible to the human eye on the packaging.

Henkel is implementing the new technology in two Vernel products, which will be launched in October in Germany. “Our Vernel bottles are made from 100% recycled and recyclable PET and are surrounded by a removable sleeve made of a different material,” added Dr. Thorsten Leopold.

When it comes to the recycling of this packaging, the company currently still relies on the consumer to separate the two types of plastic materials as many sorting lines are not able to identify the bottle material correctly. Digital watermarking presents a possibility to elude this step. The bottle material could be detected and sorted in the correct material fraction.

Digital watermarks are imperceptible codes, the size of a postage stamp, covering the surface of a consumer goods packaging. They can carry a wide range of attributes such as manufacturer, SKU, type of plastics used and composition for multilayer objects, food vs. non-food usage, etc.

The aim is that once the packaging has entered into a waste sorting facility, the digital watermark can be detected and decoded by a standard high resolution camera on the sorting line, which then – based on the transferred attributes – is able to sort the packaging in corresponding streams. This would result in better and more accurate sorting streams, thus consequently in higher-quality recyclates benefiting the complete packaging value chain.

Next to this “digital recycling passport”, digital watermarks also have the potential to be used in other areas such as consumer engagement, supply chain visibility and retail operations.

Henkel is one of more than 85 companies and organizations of the new cross-value chain initiative “HolyGrail 2.0”, launched by AIM, the European Brands Association. As a pilot project, Henkel will explore this innovative digital watermark technology for a new product range of its fabric softener brand Vernel.

Based on the initial HolyGrail project under the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the “HolyGrail 2.0” initiative will take place on a much greater scale and scope. This will include the launch of an industrial pilot in order to prove the viability of digital watermarks technologies for more accurate sorting of packaging and higher-quality recycling, as well as the business case at large scale.

“We at Henkel are constantly exploring new possibilities to enhance the recyclability and sustainability features of our product packaging. In addition, we promote projects and initatives that aim to drive innovation in packaging development and accelerate the transition to a circular economy,” said Dr. Thorsten Leopold, Head of International Packaging Development Home Care at Henkel.

Digital watermarks perform like a barcode invisible to the human eye on the packaging.

Henkel is implementing the new technology in two Vernel products, which will be launched in October in Germany. “Our Vernel bottles are made from 100% recycled and recyclable PET and are surrounded by a removable sleeve made of a different material,” added Dr. Thorsten Leopold.

When it comes to the recycling of this packaging, the company currently still relies on the consumer to separate the two types of plastic materials as many sorting lines are not able to identify the bottle material correctly. Digital watermarking presents a possibility to elude this step. The bottle material could be detected and sorted in the correct material fraction.

Digital watermarks are imperceptible codes, the size of a postage stamp, covering the surface of a consumer goods packaging. They can carry a wide range of attributes such as manufacturer, SKU, type of plastics used and composition for multilayer objects, food vs. non-food usage, etc.

The aim is that once the packaging has entered into a waste sorting facility, the digital watermark can be detected and decoded by a standard high resolution camera on the sorting line, which then – based on the transferred attributes – is able to sort the packaging in corresponding streams. This would result in better and more accurate sorting streams, thus consequently in higher-quality recyclates benefiting the complete packaging value chain.

Next to this “digital recycling passport”, digital watermarks also have the potential to be used in other areas such as consumer engagement, supply chain visibility and retail operations.