Smart Molding International 2-2021

IML & IMD 20 smart_molding international 2/2021 P lastic is durable, lightweight and economically efficient. It’s an integral part of modern society. However, the amount of plastic waste currently being generated is cause for concern. Moving to a circular economy will see plastic waste greatly reduced through effective recycling systems. But achieving this goal requires a shift in focus: plastics need to be designed to be recycled, right from the get-go. This is where HolyGrail 2.0 comes in. It’s a global initiative that encourages manufacturers to switch to packag - ing with digital watermarks, enabling simpler and more efficient recycling. Orkla, a leading supplier of branded consumer goods in Europe and India, has stepped up to the plate and ac - cepted the challenge. Orkla’s sustainability goals "We have ambitious sustainability targets by 2025, including sustainable packaging," explains Pavel Komurka, Packaging Innovation and Sustain - ability Coordinator at Orkla. "Now is the time for exploration, innovation and overhauling our methods of recy - cling. Not only do we need to reduce the amount of plastic used in packag - ing - without generating more food waste - we also need to ensure that plastic packaging is not just theoreti - cally recyclable, but actually being re - cycled. Bringing in Digimarc barcodes is a huge step towards achieving this goal." The packag - ing targets Orkla is aiming to hit in the next five years will see all packaging ma - terials designed with sorting and recycling in mind. Plastic packaging will contain at least 50% recy - cled components, or components from renewable resources. And it will be designed to be easily identi - fied by automatic sorting processes, ensuring as much material as pos - sible is ultimately recycled. Accepting the value of plastics Considering the challenges ahead, there is one burning question: why not just get rid of plastics altogether? When looking at plastics from a waste - management perspective, it’s easy to forget how much they have assisted the development of modern society - without plastic, modern life would look very different. Plastic packaging has extended the shelf life of many products, and enabled globalization through the ability to transport foods over long distances. "Some communi - ties and regions have come to view plastics as an enemy to fight, but there’s no rationality behind this. Plas - tics have greatly aided the human race and improved our living standards," says Komurka. "Our way of life has be - come dependent on plastics, which is why it’s so important to manage this valuable resource efficiently." Traffic-light recycling model To begin the transition to more sustainable packaging, Orkla created an overview of the types of plastics currently being recycled in Europe. They developed a traffic-light model: Orkla worked with the experts at Verstraete IML to introduce Digimarc barcodes into the packaging of one of their most prominent products. These interactive IML labels open the door to new and improved recycling streams. It makes plastics easy to scan, which means automatic sorting is much more accurate. Simplifying plastic recycling for a sustainable future