FOOD packaging manufacturer PFF Group has revealed it is utilising digital watermarking technology on its products to enable more accurate sorting of packaging waste and deliver higher recycling rates.
Digital watermarks are described by PFF as ‘imperceptible’ codes on the surface of packaging carrying information about the product’s journey including manufacturer, plastic type, composition, and usage.
The aim is for these codes to be read at waste sorting facilities by high-resolution cameras, resulting in more accurate sorting and detection of higher quality recyclates.
PFF explained the move is part of a trial which aims to prove the viability of intelligent sorting at scale, enabling new recycling streams that currently do not exist. The trial is being overseen by AIM – the European Brands Association and the Alliance to End Plastic Waste – and is supported by over 130 companies and organisations.
Recent investments at PFF have included £200,000 in new transformer technology to reduce the company’s carbon emissions by 5%, as well as the launch of a recyclable packaging product – IMPAC-T – which is said to use less plastic than equivalent PET packaging and is suitable for all food applications.
Ian Smith, group sales director at PFF Packaging, said, “Innovation and digital are the core drivers towards sustainability. At PFF we take our carbon zero commitments seriously as evidenced by our continued investment in new processes to engineer plastic out of products.
“This watermark technology provides a digital record of a product’s journey and has an important role to play in helping to achieve recycling targets and in making the use of recycled polypropylene in food applications a reality.”
