Major food brands join HolyGrail 2030 trial

Mondelēz International, PepsiCo and Pladis are taking part in a new HolyGrail 2030 trial designed to test whether digital watermarks can improve the sorting and recycling of flexible food packaging.

The project will take place across Belgium and aims to generate practical evidence on how wrappers, films and other flexible packaging can be identified more accurately after use, particularly when they have been in contact with food.

Digital watermarks provide invisible packaging data

The technology uses imperceptible digital codes integrated into the packaging surface during printing. These watermarks can be detected by cameras installed on sorting equipment, giving recycling facilities additional information about the material and its previous application.

Unlike visible QR codes or conventional labels, digital watermarks are designed to cover large areas of the pack without changing its appearance, increasing the likelihood that sorting equipment can detect the code regardless of how the packaging arrives on the conveyor.

Food-contact identification could improve recycling

One of the main objectives of the trial is to determine whether sorting facilities can distinguish flexible packaging that has been used for food from similar materials used in other applications.

This distinction could become increasingly important as the industry attempts to create higher-quality recycled streams suitable for future food-contact applications. Separating packaging according to material type and previous use may help reduce contamination and improve control over recycled feedstock.

Belgian household waste provides real-world test

The project will use flexible packaging collected through Belgium’s household recycling system. Sorted film bales will then be processed using digital watermark detection equipment to evaluate how accurately the technology performs under real waste-management conditions.

The trial is intended to move beyond laboratory testing and provide end-to-end evidence covering collection, sorting, identification and downstream recycling.

PPWR recycled-content targets increase urgency

The project comes as Europe’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation begins to reshape the requirements for recycled plastic in food-contact packaging.

From 2030, contact-sensitive PET packaging will need to contain at least 30% recycled content, while contact-sensitive plastic packaging made from materials other than PET will face a 10% minimum requirement.

Flexible packaging remains difficult to circularise

Flexible plastic packaging continues to present one of the most complex recycling challenges because films are lightweight, often multilayered and difficult to separate using conventional sorting technologies.

Food-contact applications add another layer of complexity because recycled material intended for new food packaging must meet demanding safety and traceability requirements.

Cross-industry collaboration becomes essential

HolyGrail 2030 brings together brand owners, packaging producers, recyclers and technology providers to test whether digital identification can create more targeted material streams at commercial scale.

Mondelēz and PepsiCo both emphasise that improving flexible packaging circularity will require collaboration across the entire value chain rather than action by individual companies alone.

Trial could support future sorting infrastructure

If successful, the Belgian trial could provide evidence for wider deployment of digital watermark technology across European sorting facilities.

For packaging manufacturers and brands, the results will help determine whether invisible digital identification can become a practical tool for meeting recycled-content targets, improving food-grade recycling and preparing flexible packaging systems for future PPWR requirements.