The project – a first in North America – assessed the effectiveness of Digimarc Recycle in optimizing the sortation of flexible plastic packaging in Canada and was undertaken in conjunction with the Circular Plastics Taskforce (CPT), participating converters, and Pellenc ST.
The CPT aims to drive projects to improve the recycling of all plastic packaging within the evolving Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) landscape in Quebec, and Canada more broadly. Assessments were aimed at delivering a first-hand view of sorting performance by CPT constituents as well as an observation of performance in mixed waste that is characteristic of Canadian conditions.
The accuracy of detection and sorting was 99% for films and flexibles satisfying the enhancement guidelines set by Digimarc. Remarkably, the results show consistent behavior no matter the type of material used, the form factor, or the type of comingled waste. The CPT concluded that Digimarc technology works to sort films and flexibles accurately and efficiently on a SKU-level (deterministic) basis. Starting in 2023, CPT aims to implement the technology in facilities to enable the separation of flexibles by attributes, allowing the creation of new end-markets.
“These results further confirm what has been validated in other programs: Digimarc Recycle is exceedingly effective in improving the accuracy of recycling sortation and provides an ability to sort material that current optical sorting technology cannot,” says Riley McCormack, Digimarc CEO. “The Canadian provinces have ambitious targets and a clear commitment to action. We are energized by the opportunity to support CPT as they execute against their vision for advanced plastic recycling in Canada.”
