Interactive technology

Dust Identity and Securikett partner for security labels

Akanksha Meena — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 09:27:06 +0000

Securikett, a provider of tamper-evident security labels and brand protection products, has confirmed a strategic partnership with Dust Identity, a provider of physical-to-digital identity and unclonable physical identity technology. Together, the companies will deliver a new class of end-to-end authentication solutions that combine advanced security labeling with truly unclonable physical identities and digital verification.

The partnership brings together Securikett’s expertise in high-security, tamper-evident labels and traceability platforms with Dust Identity’s patented diamond dust-based physical anchors and cloud-based verification platform. Dust Identity’s technology is already deployed with leading brands across luxury, collectibles, and manufacturing, and this partnership extends those proven capabilities into a fully integrated security labeling solution.

By embedding Dust Identity’s unclonable physical identity technology directly into Securikett’s security labels, customers gain a level of protection that cannot be copied, simulated, or reverse engineered. Each label becomes a unique, permanent physical identity that can be instantly verified and securely linked to digital records, compliance systems, and product data.

‘This partnership addresses a fundamental gap in today’s authentication and traceability systems,’ said Ophir Gaathon, PhD, CEO of Dust Identity. ‘Digital records, blockchain, and serialization are only as strong as the physical identity they are tied to. By working with Securikett, we are anchoring genuine, unclonable trust directly into the physical label itself.’

Securikett customers across industries including automotive, electronics, luxury goods, pharmaceuticals, and government will benefit from enhanced protection against counterfeiting, gray market diversion and unauthorized reuse. The joint technology brings together Securikett’s patented tamper-evident security labels and Codikett authentication and traceability platform with Dust Identity’s diamond dust-based physical markers providing a strong physical-to-digital bridge that cannot be copied, simulated, or reverse engineered. The technology also supports emerging regulatory and sustainability requirements by enabling verifiable provenance and secure linkage to trusted digital product records, including lifecycle and compliance documentation.

‘Combining our security label expertise with Dust Identity’s unique physical identity technology creates a powerful new standard for product protection,’ said Lukas Lovrek, managing director at Securikett. ‘This partnership allows our customers to move beyond visual or destructible security features and adopt a solution that delivers verifiable authenticity and trust at scale.’

The joint technology is available immediately and will be offered globally through both companies’ commercial channels.

Posted date

2 days 21 hours ago

Short title

Dust Identity and Securikett partner for security labels

Short summary

With the parternship, customers gain a level of protection that cannot be copied, simulated or reverse engineered.

First paragraph

With the parternship, customers gain a level of protection that cannot be copied, simulated or reverse engineered.

Other topics

New products

Rate

Top story

Article main topic

Interactive technology

Redirected

Off

Moved to features

Off

Lead image:

New batch

Off

redirected

Off

Smart packaging adoption remains slow

Piotr Wnuk — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 22:06:49 +0000

RRD has released its 2026 Integrated Packaging Report, revealing a significant gap between intent and implementation of connected packaging, with 84 percent of 400 surveyed packaging, labels and supply chain leaders planning to transition to smart packaging within one to three years, but only 1 percent having already made the shift.

The survey found that sustainability remains the top major motivating factor for packaging changes, ranked by 74 percent of packaging respondents, while 96 percent of organizations now operate an e-commerce channel, with 80 percent expecting growth in this area.

Of respondents not planning to implement smart packaging, half cited concerns about complexity for their IT and infrastructure. The report shows investments in data-centric tools are maturing, with 87 percent committing to Internet of Things, 85 percent to predictive analytics and 84 percent to real-time visibility.

When asked how AI will be used in operations over the next one to three years, sustainability optimization ranked as the highest priority at 62 percent. A net 77 percent of respondents in packaging roles expect their operations to move their company closer to sustainability goals.

'Digital transformation is no longer a question of if, but when. In the race to smart packaging, preparedness is the key to success, not merely speed,' stated Lisa Pruett, president of integrated packaging, labels and supply chain at RRD.

‘Smart packaging was once experimental; it’s now quickly becoming essential to visibility, accuracy, and product intelligence. Leaders should shift focus from adoption to integration, making sure that innovative packaging delivers real operational value across the supply chain,’ added Craig Lombardi, vice president of labels and packaging at RRD.

‘Leaders are taking a forward-looking view of the market environment, treating current conditions as temporary, and believing that the future justifies continued commitment to sustainability. The challenge is translating the ambition for sustainability into practical, scalable decisions that deliver progress without compromising quality or cost discipline,’ concluded John Marrow, president of supply chain solutions at RRD.

More details are available on the RRD website.

Posted date

3 days 8 hours ago

Short title

Smart packaging adoption remains slow

Short summary

RRD survey reveals 84 percent of companies plan a transition, but only 1 percent have implemented it.

First paragraph

RRD survey reveals 84 percent of companies plan a transition, but only 1 percent have implemented it.

Regions

North America

Other topics

Interactive technology

Rate

Top story

Article main topic

Market trends

Redirected

Off

Moved to features

Off

Lead image:

New batch

Off

redirected

Off

starcodegroup expands smart label capabilities with Rotocon

Selah Zighelboim — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 17:31:02 +0000

Rotocon has confirmed an order from starcodegroup, a Smart-ID manufacturer in Germany, for a Chrome RFP 450S 8-colour sleeve machine with folding option, together with three RDF 540/580 nonstop, high-speed, fully automatic blank labeling machines.

Starcodegroup is a German company that specializes in custom labeling, tracking and Auto-ID systems. With in-house production in Germany, the company offers end-to-end services ranging from smart labels to complete logistics integration. Founded in 2003 and under new ownership since 2015 by Florian Oberndörfer, starcodegroup combines decades of expertise with technology to deliver high-quality, secure and scalable identification products.

The Rotocon RFP Chrome 450S flexo press combines advanced engineering, speed and efficiency in a fully servo-driven system. Each sleeve printing unit, powered by three servo motors, delivers consistently sharp, high-quality results. Designed for versatility, the modular press supports a wide range of automation and performance-enhancing options, including an in-line folding feature that produces folded labels directly during printing.

Engineered for nonstop, high-speed performance, Rotocon’s RDF 540/580 fully automatic blank label technologies deliver maximum productivity and precision. With advanced servo control, automated roll changes and simple web handling, they enable continuous, reliable blank label production with minimal downtime.

'From a production perspective, the investment in Rotocon’s RFP and RDF systems is a decisive step forward for us,' said Andrzej Kawiorski, production manager at starcodegroup. 'The combination of high automation, precision and nonstop performance significantly increases our manufacturing flexibility and reliability. This allows us to meet complex customer requirements with consistently high quality, shorter lead times and maximum process stability – even at growing volumes.'

'At starcodegroup, we continuously develop innovative products in the field of customized identification solutions, from highly specialized labels to RFID technologies and complete ecosystems,' said Oberndörfer, starcodegroup CEO and owner. 'Our collaboration with Rotocon enables us to realize even the most complex ideas with efficiency and reliability. With Rotocon’s printing and finishing equipment, we’re taking another step forward in combining our innovation with their advanced machine technology.

'The best partnerships are built on trust and a shared vision. Working with the Rotocon team is not only technologically rewarding but also personally inspiring. Together, we’re expanding what’s possible in smart label production.'

Posted date

4 days 13 hours ago

Short title

starcodegroup expands smart label capabilities with Rotocon

Short summary

The German company ordered a Chrome RFP 450S 8-colour sleeve machine and three RDF 540/580 machines.

First paragraph

The German company ordered a Chrome RFP 450S 8-colour sleeve machine and three RDF 540/580 machines.

Regions

Europe

Other topics

Finishing & embellishment

Installations

Interactive technology

Rate

Top story

Article main topic

Conventional printing

Redirected

Off

Moved to features

Off

Lead image:

New batch

Off

redirected

Off

Tageos and Wiliot partner on BLE sensing technology

Selah Zighelboim — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:47:40 +0000

Tageos, a global provider of RFID and wireless IoT inlays and tags, is partnering with IoT company Wiliot. The first outcome of this collaboration is the launch of a new passive Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) inlay, the EOS-654 BLE G3. In response to the growing demand for real-time location and condition monitoring across retail and logistics supply chains, this inlay was developed to support large-scale deployment of Wiliot’s Gen3 IoT Pixel sensor and the Wiliot Intelligence Platform.

The new EOS-654 BLE G3 features a dual-band architecture operating at 2.4 GHz and sub-1 GHz. This inlay design enables longer-range energizing, more reliable broadcasts and greater performance consistency across environments such as distribution centers, trailers, retail backrooms and store floors. Delivered as a dry inlay, it is ready for conversion into Wiliot’s Gen3 IoT Pixel sensor.

Requiring no batteries, the Gen3 IoT Pixel sensor works with cost-effective Bluetooth reader infrastructure to transmit item-level data to the Wiliot Intelligence Platform. The platform analyzes continuous streams of location, temperature, humidity, light, dwell time and movement data to power physical AI capabilities, including cycle counting, shipment verification, reusable asset tracking and condition monitoring.

The EOS-654 BLE G3 inlay was developed in cooperation with Wiliot at Tageos’ Innovation Center of Excellence (ICoE), which opened in Munich, Germany, in April 2025 in response to the increasing demand for wireless technologies. Specializing in products such as advanced antenna design, battery-free and battery-powered BLE sensors, and multi-component integration into roll-to-roll inlay manufacturing, the ICoE is part of the company’s comprehensive research and development organization. Once final product development and validation are complete, products can be seamlessly industrialized within Tageos’ global manufacturing network, which currently has a total production capacity of 12 billion units per year across locations in France, the US and China.

'We are proud to work with a global, high-capacity inlay manufacturer to further secure supply for the growing demand for our battery-free Gen3 IoT Pixel BLE sensors,' said Amir Khoshniyati, vice president marketing and business development at Wiliot. 'Combined with the Wiliot Intelligence Platform, this partnership powers the data layer behind physical AI and redefines real-time visibility across modern supply chains. Tageos’ innovation capabilities and proven ability to scale to billions of units make them an ideal partner for our rapid growth in ambient IoT.'

'With Tageos’ innovation and commitment to quality, in addition to our expertise in inlay manufacturing, combined with our capacity, we are now taking another significant step towards ambient IoT performance and battery-free BLE sensing technology,' said Hector Gomez, vice president of specialty products at Tageos. 'Wiliot shares our commitment to pioneering ideas and actions, and we are excited to expand our partnership further to unlock new applications and drive ongoing growth for the benefit of our customers worldwide.'

Posted date

1 week 1 day ago

Short title

Tageos and Wiliot partner on BLE sensing technology

Short summary

A new passive Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) inlay was developed to support large-scale deployment of Wiliot’s technology.

First paragraph

A new passive Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) inlay was developed to support large-scale deployment of Wiliot’s technology.

Other topics

New products

Related suppliers

Tageos SAS

Rate

Top story

Article main topic

Interactive technology

Redirected

Off

Moved to features

Off

Lead image:

New batch

Off

redirected

Off

Screen launches virtual showroom

Akanksha Meena — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 10:52:23 +0000

As part of its ongoing initiative to modernize its digital presence, Screen Europe has launched an immersive virtual showroom, offering visitors a dynamic and interactive way to explore Screen’s digital printing machines.

Integrated into the recently redesigned Screen website, the virtual showroom is a fully rendered 3D environment that allows visitors to step inside Screen’s world of digital printing technology. Users can explore Screen’s inkjet presses in a visually engaging space, gaining a realistic sense of their scale and layout without leaving their desk.

Beyond its visual impact, the virtual showroom has been designed as a highly informative tool. Visitors can interact directly with the equipment on display, selecting individual presses to access detailed product information, videos, brochures and application insights allowing users to navigate the same depth of information available on the rest of website even easier.

The experience also offers a preview of what visitors can expect when attending an in-person demonstration at the Screen Europe Inkjet Innovation Center, providing a digital introduction where users can look forward to collaborating with inkjet printing experts, test and optimize real-world production workflows. When ready, visitors can easily book their personalized demonstrations at the physical showroom making the transition from digital exploration to hands-on testing seamless, reinforcing its role as a practical decision-making tool.

By connecting technology, content, and storytelling in a single environment, Screen Europe has created a platform that helps customers better understand how each solution fits into their production goals and market challenges.

Visitors are invited to explore the virtual showroom and experience firsthand how Screen is shaping the future of digital printing from the web to the workfloor and beyond on its website.

Posted date

1 week 4 days ago

Short title

Screen launches virtual showroom

Short summary

Users can explore Screen’s inkjet presses in a visually engaging space, gaining a realistic sense of their scale and layout.

First paragraph

Users can explore Screen’s inkjet presses in a visually engaging space, gaining a realistic sense of their scale and layout.

Other topics

Interactive technology

Related suppliers

SCREEN

Rate

Top story

Article main topic

Digital printing

Redirected

Off

Moved to features

Off

Lead image:

New batch

Off

redirected

Off

Impinj licenses Gen2X to EM Microelectronic

Piotr Wnuk — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 22:35:57 +0000

Impinj has announced a licensing agreement with EM Microelectronic to integrate Impinj Gen2X into future EM endpoint ICs, with the next-generation Gen2X-enabled dual-frequency ICs expected to be commercially available in 2027.

EM Microelectronic is a semiconductor manufacturer specialized in the design and production of ultra-low power, low voltage integrated circuits. The agreement will enable EM to integrate Gen2X technology into its RAINFC dual-frequency product line and future offerings.

'We are committed to enabling a broader ecosystem of product and technology providers to deliver powerful offerings to an array of market segments and use cases,' stated Gahan Richardson, executive vice president and general manager at Impinj Business Unit. 'We're thrilled to extend Gen2X performance advantages to EM Microelectronic, and we look forward to the future innovations that stem from this collaboration.'

EM Microelectronic's RAINFC dual-frequency product line extends RFID capability beyond traditional RAIN RFID use cases. Gen2X integration will improve performance on proven use cases while opening the door to new industries and segments.

'With demonstrated operational benefits and compatibility with Gen2 standards, we see enormous potential for future innovations across segments, leveraging the features and capabilities that Gen2X delivers,' commented Pierre Muller, RFID business unit leader at EM Microelectronic. 'Our RAINFC dual-frequency product line greatly extends RFID capability beyond traditional RAIN RFID use cases. Gen2X integration into this and future product lines will further improve performance on proven use cases while opening the door to new industries and segments, delivering unmatched value.'

Posted date

2 weeks 4 days ago

Short title

Impinj licenses Gen2X to EM Microelectronic

Short summary

Agreement to integrate technology into future endpoint ICs.

First paragraph

Agreement to integrate technology into future endpoint ICs.

Regions

North America

Other topics

New products

Rate

Top story

Article main topic

Interactive technology

Redirected

Off

Moved to features

Off

Lead image:

New batch

Off

redirected

Off

Labels target food waste reduction

Piotr Wnuk — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 23:21:56 +0000

Avery Dennison has published research highlighting how intelligent labels can address food waste across the global supply chain, which is forecast to reach 540 billion USD by 2026.

The Making the Invisible Visible report, which surveyed 3,500 global food retailers and supply chain leaders, found that 61 percent of businesses lack full visibility into where food waste occurs across their operations. The company positions intelligent labels as a key technology to address these blind spots and transform food waste from an operating cost into measurable value.

Transit emerged as a critical area where labels can provide visibility, with 56 percent of companies reporting they do not have a clear understanding of how much food waste happens during transportation. The research identified meat as the most challenging category, projected to cost 94 billion USD in lost output in 2026, followed by fresh produce at 88 billion USD.

'The biggest challenge is what we can't see. From transit to shelf, blind spots are silently eroding margins,' noted Julie Vargas, vice president and general manager of enterprise intelligent labels growth at Avery Dennison. 'With the right innovation, we can turn this loss into measurable value and shift the conversation on food waste, from being purely seen as a sustainability issue, into a business critical one.'

The report found that inventory management and overstocking contribute significantly to food waste for 51 percent of business leaders. Avery Dennison suggests that intelligent labels can enable item-level inventory visibility, demand forecasting and real-time shelf-life management to address these challenges.

Economic volatility and shifting consumer demands are exacerbating food waste issues, with 74 percent of retailers stating inflation is making it harder to predict demand for fresh meat and 73 percent reporting rising consumer demand for smaller meat portions or alternatives.

'Over seven in ten business leaders told us that they see tackling food waste as a growth opportunity,' added Michael Colarossi, vice president and head of enterprise sustainability at Avery Dennison. 'That's why the 540 billion USD in lost value should be a clear call to action for the food retail supply chain to cut waste and boost efficiencies.'

If current trends continue, the cumulative cost of food waste from 2025 to 2030 is expected to reach 3.4 trillion USD.

Posted date

3 weeks 3 days ago

Short title

Labels target food waste reduction

Short summary

Avery Dennison research highlights intelligent labels' role in supply chain visibility.

First paragraph

Avery Dennison research highlights intelligent labels' role in supply chain visibility.

Regions

South & Central America

Related suppliers

Rate

Top story

Article main topic

Interactive technology

Redirected

Off

Moved to features

Off

Lead image:

New batch

Off

redirected

Off

Digital watermarks prove their worth in real-world trials

Piotr Wnuk — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 01:47:00 +0000

Sustainability 22 December 2025

Digital watermarks prove their worth in real-world trials

HolyGrail 2.0’s latest industrial trials demonstrate the technology’s readiness for commercial deployment across European recycling facilities.

The quest for accurate plastic sorting has reached a pivotal moment. After years of development and testing, digital watermark technology has finally proven it can deliver the precision needed to transform how Europe handles post-consumer packaging waste. The HolyGrail 2.0 initiative’s latest industrial trials, conducted at Germany’s Hündgen Entsorgung facility, have demonstrated detection rates consistently exceeding 90 percent, a significant leap forward in sorting technology.

Over 100 days of rigorous testing from August to December 2024, the facility processed real household waste from Germany and Denmark, clocking an average of nearly 56,000 detections per day. The numbers are impressive: 5.66 million detections across 5,949 unique SKUs, with detection efficiency ranging from 87.9 to 93.8 percent. This represents the largest-scale testing of digital watermark technology to date, proving its potential for widespread commercial adoption.

Beyond traditional sorting limitations

Current near-infrared and visible light spectroscopy (NIR/VIS) systems, while effective at separating basic materials like PET, polypropylene and polyethylene, face inherent limitations that digital watermarks can overcome.

‘NIR/VIS spectroscopy separates materials and colors; however, certain packaging features limit its detection capabilities. For instance, the presence of sleeves does not allow you to see the color underneath, multilayer packaging hinders the detection below the top layer, and additives and polymer physical properties are not visible by NIR/VIS,’ explains Margherita Trombetti, project manager and sustainability policy officer at AIM, the European Brands Association.

Traditional sorting technologies also cannot identify crucial information, such as product application, whether for food, cosmetic or detergent use; recycled content levels; or whether materials are bio-based or fossil-based.

Margherita Trombetti, project manager and sustainability policy officer at AIM – the European Brands Association and Martyn Tickner, technical advisor at the Alliance to End Plastic Waste

‘There are certain types of information that it is impossible to obtain via the technology alone. This is why new technologies are needed,’ adds Trombetti.

Digital watermarks address these gaps by encoding detailed information directly into packaging during the printing process.

‘Digital watermarks’ ability to identify packaging features at the SKU level unlocks a new set of data about the packaging, granting access to any packaging attributes such as additives, viscosity and hidden layers,’ notes Trombetti.

These granular sorting capabilities extend far beyond current systems. ‘When packaging is marked with digital watermarks, it can be sorted based on usage such as food, cosmetics, detergents and others, as well as traced for brand owners’ collection statistics by product and for EPR purposes,’ she explains.

Complementary technologies

Rather than replacing existing infrastructure entirely, the most effective approach combines digital watermarks with established NIR technology. This hybrid approach maximizes sorting efficiency while accommodating both marked and unmarked packaging, a practical necessity.

‘Digital watermarking allows for the splitting of any fraction to a higher level of granularity than is currently possible with near infrared technology,’ states Trombetti.

Integration proves essential for practical implementation. ‘Not all objects will be digitally watermarked, and so a combination of DW and NIR/VIS provides the best of both worlds, enabling mixed sorting of both marked and unmarked SKUs, including responding to dirty, partially marked or damaged packaging,’ explains Trombetti.

“Digital watermarking is a proven method at commercial scale, and the early-adopter markets will benefit from this”

The Hündgen facility trials exemplified this integrated approach through sophisticated equipment configuration. ‘On Hündgen’s main line, a new 2.8m-wide Pellenc ST module enabled with Digimarc watermark detection was installed to process an input stream consisting of post-consumer plastic from the German and Danish collection systems,’ details Trombetti.

‘The detection efficiency ranged from 87.9 percent to 93.8 percent, with strong evidence of consistent detection over 90 percent over long durations,’ Trombetti notes. These results proved particularly impressive given the complexity involved: ‘Nearly 6,000 SKUs from collection in two countries, challenging post-consumer waste, including the presence of films and flexibles in the rigids stream, and the uneven distribution and crumpling of material.’

Implementation challenges

Integrating new technology into existing facilities requires careful consideration of both technical and economic factors. Martyn Tickner, technical advisor at the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, emphasizes the distinction between detection and sorting components. ‘It is important firstly to recognize that the transition to circular systems requires major investments into sorting capability, the key enabler to high-quality recycling,’ he explains.

Investment strategy becomes crucial for successful implementation. ‘We should differentiate between the detection/decision making and the sorting step itself, most typically by air-jet separation of a stream, with the most significant part of the capital cost being the latter,’ he notes.

The detection systems themselves increasingly utilize multiple sensor inputs, combining NIR, visible light, digital watermarks and object recognition technologies.

‘Detection/decision making increasingly utilizes multi-sensory input, with the choice determined by the cost and value that each technology brings to the problem being addressed,’ notes Tickner.

Real-world sorting presents challenges beyond technology implementation. Contamination remains a persistent headache, with waste conditions presenting multiple obstacles.

‘In general, sorting is made more difficult by elements that consumers put in the garbage bag despite not being plastic, metal, or paper, hence contaminating the input. It is estimated that around 40 to 50 percent of such elements can be found in the yellow bag,’ explains Trombetti.

The trials also encountered operational challenges that provided valuable learning opportunities. ‘Waste conditions also presented some challenges: harsh soiling, crumpling, crushing and aging. During the trials, there were some hardware and cooling challenges associated with the detection, but these did not negatively affect the detection and ejection results,’ she adds. Such real-world hiccups are exactly what the industry needs to understand before widespread rollout.

Economic viability

The transition from research trials to commercial deployment hinges on demonstrating clear economic value for all stakeholders. The newly formed Circular Packaging 2030 consortium, emerging from HolyGrail 2.0, focuses specifically on proving the business case for intelligent sorting across European markets.

“Meeting the 2030 EU-wide PPWR targets requires investment not only in sorting, but in recycling capabilities”

‘Circular Packaging 2030 is a collaborative consortium of companies and organizations representing the entire packaging value chain. Its mission is to prove the economic viability of a circular economy for selected plastics packaging use cases,’ explains Trombetti.

The consortium’s comprehensive approach addresses multiple stakeholders’ needs simultaneously.

‘The primary aim is to demonstrate end-to-end business value creation by implementing intelligent sorting for all PP plastic materials, and identification of the right recycling path to create food-grade [recycled polypropylene] material. This may later extend to other material types,’ she continues.

The consortium’s methodology encompasses rigorous evaluation criteria, including sorting performance metrics, business case evaluation and return on investment assessment.

This comprehensive evaluation approach recognizes that advanced sorting represents just one component of the circular economy equation.

‘Meeting the 2030 EU-wide PPWR targets requires investment not only in sorting, but in recycling capabilities. However, advanced sorting is a key enabler for recycling and hence PPWR compliance,’ emphasizes Trombetti.

The infrastructure investment strategy focuses on scalable approaches rather than retrofitting facilities individually. ‘The industry should focus on implementing advanced sorting, including managing this on a large scale as a second sorting step rather than retrofitting capabilities into each individual municipal sorting facility,’ she advises.

Strategic market demonstrations

The transition to commercial deployment begins with carefully selected market demonstrations in Belgium and Germany. These locations offer distinct advantages for validating the technology’s commercial viability under different conditions.

‘Both markets were selected for strategic reasons. Belgium offers environment to demonstrate the business case for a circular economy in flexible polypropylene packaging,’ states Trombetti.

The country’s institutional advantages make it particularly suitable for testing. ‘This is largely due to Fost Plus, a well-positioned and highly proactive Producer Responsibility Organization, whose ambition makes them a key partner,’ she notes. ‘Leading brand owners who were instrumental in previous semi-industrial and industrial trials are also actively involved in this market demonstration, driven by their commitment to meeting the EU-wide 2030 targets for recyclability and recycled content.’

“Plastic recycling rates will increase progressively and differently region by region”

Belgium’s existing infrastructure provides an excellent foundation for advanced sorting implementation. ‘Belgium sees high annual volumes of flexible packaging and its advanced sorting centers already deliver very pure flows. By introducing watermark recognition technology, we are completing the final step toward achieving truly circular flexible packaging,’ Trombetti explains. Its positioning as a perfect testing ground makes sense.

Germany offers complementary advantages for rigid packaging applications. Germany is also being explored, given high amounts of rigid PP in their market. Moreover, this market demonstration can benefit from the sorting equipment that is already installed in the partner MRF Hündgen Entsorgung,’ she adds. Leveraging existing infrastructure makes economic sense.

The demonstrations will follow a structured two-year timeline focusing on specific outcomes. ‘This will be a two-year market demonstration, focused on sorting post-consumer, digitally watermarked PP packaging from selected markets. The resulting fractions will be recycled using various technologies to assess performance and output quality,’ details Trombetti.

Regulatory compliance

The European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation creates urgent timelines for industry transformation, requiring sophisticated tracking and reporting capabilities.

‘Digital watermarks embody the perfect example of how the EU-wide goal of the green and digital transitions can happen together: DW carry a wide range of attributes such as manufacturer, SKU, type of plastics used, composition for multi-layer objects, food vs non-food application,’ notes Trombetti.

The technology’s data collection capabilities support comprehensive regulatory reporting requirements. ‘Digital watermarks have the potential to meet other PPWR requirements. Notably, to enable the creation of a Digital Packaging Passport that can help companies meet EU reporting requirements, such as communicating about the material composition of the packaging to facilitate sorting, or about the presence of substances of concern, or even to get highly reliable and accurate data for EPR reporting obligations,’ she explains.

Timing becomes critical for meeting regulatory deadlines.

‘Given the urgency for improvement, it is important to move forward with technologies that are already in place today that will support the viability of downstream investments, rather than waiting for maturation of even newer technologies,’ explains Trombetti. This approach provides ‘the most assured route towards PPWR compliance.’

The regulatory framework also requires significant infrastructure development beyond sorting capabilities.

‘Next to progress on sorting infrastructure, an upgrade in recycling capabilities is needed. It will take many years to install adequate infrastructure for chemical recycling. However, we already have significant mechanical recycling infrastructure in place, which can be more rapidly developed to provide the quality required to meet the PPWR targets as long as feedstocks are accurately and efficiently sorted,’ she notes.

Global adoption

While European markets drive current development, the technology’s global potential depends on varying regional conditions and requirements. Tickner outlines how adoption patterns will differ based on local waste management maturity and economic conditions.

‘Plastic recycling rates will increase progressively and differently region by region, driven by waste management policies, targets, brand-owner ambitions and financing mechanisms, which in turn create end-markets that support the investment in collection, sorting and recycling,’ he explains.

Regional infrastructure variations create different opportunities for implementation. ‘In OECD countries with more mature waste management systems, sorting will largely be fully automated and capable of advanced detection such as NIR, DW, object recognition [OR]. In lower-cost countries and those with less mature waste management systems, manual sorting will dominate,’ notes Tickner.

However, advanced detection technology can provide value across diverse operational contexts. ‘Even here, advanced detection can be deployed, using laser lights to guide manual sorters. And in all cases, quality control of incoming materials will be relevant,’ explains Tickner.

The strategic decision for brand owners involves weighing implementation approaches and timing considerations. ‘Perhaps the trade-off for brand owners between taking the initiative and costs for digital watermarking versus relying on others to implement object recognition may favor a strategic decision to adopt digital watermarks,’ suggests Tickner.

Competitive landscape

The sorting technology landscape continues evolving rapidly, with artificial intelligence-enabled object recognition advancing alongside digital watermarks. However, a pragmatic perspective on technology selection and implementation timing should be maintained.

‘For sorting and data collection, the capabilities of AI-enabled object recognition (OR) are advancing fast, and while the limits of performance and operational cost in highly complex systems are not yet determined. OR represents an approach with a lower entry barrier for brands, at least for today’s needs in rigid packaging,’ explains Tickner.

Tickner highlights the importance of action over prolonged evaluation. ‘We believe that the actual choice of detection approach is of secondary importance and is consuming too much energy. Digital watermarking is a proven method at commercial scale, and the early-adopter markets will benefit from this,’ he states.

Risk management considerations favor implementation over waiting. ‘The regret cost of inaction is far higher than the regret of implementing a detection technology and then finding in five to 10 years that performance boundaries and market requirements have evolved in favor of a different approach, and some retrofit costs are required,’ observes Tickner.

The competitive landscape will likely support multiple detection technologies, each optimized for specific applications.

Next steps

The Circular Packaging 2030 consortium has established comprehensive milestones for commercial deployment over the next two years, encompassing technical performance, economic viability and regulatory approval processes.

Key objectives include achieving ‘sorting performance metrics comparable to those in HolyGrail 2.0 Phase 3 and aligned with regulatory standards’, along with demonstrating ‘added value for both feedstock and recyclates, focusing on the production of high-quality materials suitable for target packaging applications,’ explains Trombetti.

Economic validation remains central to the consortium’s mission. The program will ‘assess the ROI for all stakeholders to validate the commercial viability of a circular economy model’ while working to ‘produce high-value recyclates that justify investment in intelligent sorting technology,’ she details.

The demonstration’s expected outcomes extend beyond immediate commercial deployment. ‘By the end of the market demonstration, the Consortium expects to achieve a pathway for food-grade PP recyclates initially for non-food contact applications and outline a clear roadmap toward EFSA approval,’ she explains.

Success in these demonstrations will provide the foundation for broader rollout across European markets. The readiness for widespread implementation represents the culmination of years of hard work and testing. With high detection efficiency and the ability to sort at unprecedented granularity, digital watermarks offer a proven path toward the accurate sorting essential for circular packaging systems. The transition from HolyGrail 2.0 research to HolyGrail 2030 marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of packaging recycling, one that the industry has been waiting for.

Edit content

Piotr Wnuk

Senior digital and Southeast Asia editor

Article Also Filed in:

Top story

Article type

Features

Identiv opens Thailand manufacturing facility

Piotr Wnuk — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 22:05:54 +0000

Identiv has completed its manufacturing transition from Singapore to its Bangkok, Thailand facility, positioning the company as a leader in multicomponent manufacturing (MCM) for advanced RFID and BLE IoT applications.

The production transition to Thailand represents a significant achievement for the Perform pillar of Identiv's Perform, Accelerate, Transform (P-A-T) strategy, establishing a highly efficient manufacturing operation in a location known for its strong workforce and competitive cost structure.

'The completion of our Thailand production transition is a foundational milestone for Identiv as a pure-play IoT company, marking the end of a successful two-year process and delivering on a key strategic objective for operational excellence,' stated Kirsten Newquist, CEO at Identiv. 'By providing a state-of-the-art, high-quality and cost-efficient base, the Thailand facility is now the engine of our competitive advantage, engineered for the future of IoT and sustained, profitable growth.'

As IoT applications expand from inventory management and asset tracking to complex, high-value applications such as real-time location tracking, condition monitoring and advanced security, simple, single-component inlays are evolving into more sophisticated, multi-component designs. MCM is a production method for this new era of IoT manufacturing, enabling the industrial-scale integration of various components, including chips, sensors and batteries, into advanced RFID and BLE-enabled tags.

'Multicomponent manufacturing is not merely an assembly method; it is the orchestration of interdependent disciplines, including product design, process engineering, material science and testing,' explained Dr Manfred Mueller, chief strategy officer at Identiv. 'The decade of experience our teams have in refining these parameters across thousands of production runs is a key competitive advantage for Identiv. This expertise is what allows us to rapidly prototype and commercialize complex systems for critical high-value applications, cementing our role as the infrastructure layer shaping IoT's future.'

MCM is expected to play a key role in expanding Identiv's specialized IoT offerings, including advanced BLE capabilities for healthcare and logistics applications.

Posted date

1 month 1 week ago

Short title

Identiv opens Thailand manufacturing facility

Short summary

The RFID and BLE IoT manufacturer establishes a multicomponent manufacturing capability.

First paragraph

The RFID and BLE IoT manufacturer establishes a multicomponent manufacturing capability.

Regions

Asia-Pacific

Rate

Top story

Article main topic

Interactive technology

Redirected

Off

Moved to features

Off

Lead image:

New batch

Off

redirected

Off

FoodChain ID and Unpac partner for EPR compliance platform

Akanksha Meena — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 13:54:43 +0000

FoodChain ID, regulatory compliance products and services provider, and Unpac, the AI-powered SaaS platform have entered into an exclusive strategic alliance to deliver the advanced Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compliance platform to the global food and beverage industry.

With EPR laws now active in seven US states and legislative drafts in 10 more, packaging compliance is no longer optional – it’s a financial imperative with implications for business margins, operations and CFO-level priorities. This partnership combines FoodChain ID’s food industry and regulatory compliance expertise with Unpac’s intelligent EPR software to create a new capability in packaging compliance ‒ one that turns regulatory burden into a business advantage.

‘Together, we’re eliminating the friction from EPR compliance and giving brands a smarter way to reduce risk, meet regulatory deadlines and find savings in their packaging data,’ said Marc Losito, vice president of regulatory solutions at FoodChain ID. ‘This partnership isn’t just about EPR reporting, it’s about helping our customers future-proof their packaging strategy with defensible data and intelligent tools.’

‘We built Unpac to make packaging data actionable, to turn compliance into measurable business value,’ said Lee Lubner, CEO of Unpac. ‘Our mission is to help brands unlock the power of their packaging data with automation, accuracy and intelligence.’

The alliance offers a single, integrated EPR compliance platform that streamlines packaging data collection, automates reporting across jurisdictions, and delivers actionable insights for procurement, packaging design and sustainability teams.

Key benefits for customers include one-click, multi-jurisdiction EPR reporting, powered by Unpac’s automation engine and supported by FoodChain ID’s regulatory consulting team for compliance confidence across US state-specific frameworks. Automated data validation, gap analysis and eco-modulation simulations reduce fees and improve packaging performance, guided by FoodChain ID’s domain expertise in food and beverage packaging standards.

It offers up to 80 percent reduction in manual effort and 20 percent+ reduction in EPR-related fees, with packaging cost savings of 10-20 percent validated by FoodChain ID’s expert interpretation and defensibility reviews. Unpac’s Single Source of Truth for packaging data, enriched with FoodChain ID’s broader compliance intelligence and audit support capabilities. Brands get end-to-end support from data to decision, combining Unpac’s AI-driven platform with FoodChain ID’s advisory, implementation, and enterprise enablement services.

The partnership supports food and beverage brands by making it easier to manage regulatory complexity and state-by-state reporting, while also surfacing cost savings and elevating operational performance.

Posted date

1 month 1 week ago

Short title

FoodChain ID and Unpac partner for EPR compliance platform

Short summary

Key benefits for customers include one-click, multi-jurisdiction EPR reporting for compliance across US state-specific frameworks.

First paragraph

Key benefits for customers include one-click, multi-jurisdiction EPR reporting for compliance across US state-specific frameworks.

Regions

North America

South & Central America

Other topics

Interactive technology

Rate

Top story

Article main topic

Brand owners & design

Redirected

Off

Moved to features

Off

Lead image:

New batch

Off

redirected

Off

Interactive technology

Dust Identity and Securikett partner for security labels

Smart packaging adoption remains slow

starcodegroup expands smart label capabilities with Rotocon

Tageos and Wiliot partner on BLE sensing technology

Screen launches virtual showroom

Impinj licenses Gen2X to EM Microelectronic

Labels target food waste reduction

Digital watermarks prove their worth in real-world trials

Piotr Wnuk

Share this

Stay up to date

Identiv opens Thailand manufacturing facility

FoodChain ID and Unpac partner for EPR compliance platform