Berry Global Group, Inc. recently announced its participation in the new recycling initiative, HolyGrail 2.0. The outcome of its predecessor, the Pioneer Project HolyGrail, led by Gian De Belder at Procter & Gamble, was the identification of digital watermarking (Digimarc Barcode) as a technique to “tag” plastic substrates or print materials (e.g., shrink sleeve, IML label, or paper label) with an identity that could include attributes such as plastic type, product manufacturer, product SKU, food or non-food usage, and the composition of multi-layer foils. Digimarc Barcode can be added to the printed label/sleeve artwork and/or embossed into the plastic itself.

Berry will manufacture plastic packaging containing Digimarc Barcode for use in product sortation. The two companies are longtime partners, and Digimarc will advise Berry on adding the digital watermark onto drink cups and thin-wall lids for containers as part of the project.

“We continue to be amazed at the possibilities that Digimarc brings to us and our customers,” said Jennye Scott, vice president of Creative Services for Berry. “It is exciting to see decoration have the potential to make such a positive impact on the recovery of plastics.”

In line with its sustainability strategy, Impact 2025, Berry is striving to increase the recovery of plastics through recycling. The company’s hope is to accelerate the efforts toward a circular economy by pushing the boundaries of innovation in both material recovery and recyclable packaging.

For more information, visit www.berryglobal.com and www.digimarc.com.