Documented Sustainability:
WIPAK uses digital product passports to enable efficient packaging data management and compliance for its customers

R-Cycle is a turnkey software-as-a-service solution with which all relevant packaging information can be digitally stored, consolidated, shared and managed from multiple sources across the value chain. The data is provided in accordance with GS1 standards. The highlighted WIPAK packaging solutions have so-called digital watermarks - a marking hidden in the printed image of the packaging, similar to a QR code. These can be read using customary cameras. This means that the respective product passport can be called up at any time via the packaging, e.g. using a smartphone. Data is retrieved via the R-Cycle front end as standard. Interfaces to other systems are also possible, such as integration into ERP systems or a customer app for use in the production environment or for quality control.

The GreenChoice by WIPAK packaging solutions cover a wide range of applications and offer certified recyclability, such as thermoformed packaging for sliced cheese or cold cuts (see image). Compared to the current PET/PE market standard, the PP-based solution achieves a recyclability of 92 percent (Cyclos-HTP certified), saves 10% on material usage and reduces the CO2 footprint by 37 percent.

Batch tracing enables precise traceability of raw materials

In addition to product-related master data, batch-related data can also be traced via R-Cycle. This offers enormous potential, particularly when using recyclates or bio-circular materials, in order to be able to trace exactly which raw materials have been processed in which batches or products.

Susan Janssen: “We have customers in Northern Europe who use bio feedstock and are very interested in a tracing solution. Here, too, we are considering using R-Cycle as a solution in the medium term. We are already working on initial concepts.”

For batch-related tracing, R-Cycle can automatically record production data and save it per batch or even per item. This makes it easier to trace the raw materials used, increases transparency in the documentation and fosters confidence in the sustainability of the products by providing precise proof of bio or recycled raw materials.

Another possible application of R-Cycle is the exact recording of the CO2 footprint. The platform offers the possibility of capturing corresponding CO2 balances including the transportation routes for packaging.

Picture: Wipak

Data-based waste sorting for high-quality recycling

In order to recycle plastic packaging to a high standard in the sense of a genuine circular economy, there is currently still a lack of sufficiently precise, single-origin waste sorting. The AIM - European Brands Association, supported by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, has therefore launched the HolyGrail 2.0 initiative, which is currently testing the potential of digital watermarks as an identification technology for consumer goods packaging. WIPAK and R-Cycle are actively involved in HolyGrail 2.0, and R-Cycle is supporting this initiative with the expertise of the R-Cycle community as part of the “Data Management” work package to drive the initiative forward and ensure that both approaches complement each other.

The latest GreenChoice bv WIPAK packaging solutions presented at Fachpack all feature digital watermarks, each allowing access to R-Cycle's digital product passport. “With R-Cycle, we can offer our customers immediate added value by enabling efficient packaging data management. In the long term, we are also laying the foundation for many other applications, such as precise tracing, CO2 footprint calculation and high-quality recycling through data-based waste sorting,” summarizes Janssen. “Digital product passports are crucial for the precise tracking and control of material flows in the circular economy.”