December 14, 2020
Milliken & Company’s Chemical Division has joined the Digital Watermarks Project, a large-scale initiative testing the viability of digital watermarking technologies for the accurate sorting of plastics.
The Digital Watermarks Project was part of an initiative facilitated by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, HolyGrail 1.0, which brought together brand owners, retailers, recyclers, packaging producers and sorting technology providers from across the plastics value chain to investigate ways to improve the sorting of post-consumer plastics.
Within HolyGrail 1.0, digital watermarks were found to be the most promising technology and a basic proof-of-concept for smart sorting was developed. HolyGrail 2.0, the second iteration facilitated by the European Brands Association (AIM), will take this initiative to the next stage by validating the concept and the technology on a semi-industrial scale.
Published: 11 Dec 2020, 10:03
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Lithium-ion battery cells of different types. Image: PI Berlin.
Proposed updates to EU legislation on batteries that aim to address some of the issues associated with Europe’s supply chain have been welcomed by trade industry association RECHARGE, albeit with the suggestion that they may be too complex in their current form.
The European Commission has proposed that mandatory requirements be put in place covering the use of responsibly sourced materials and required minimum levels of recycled materials, performance and durability, labelling and carbon footprint and that collection and recycling targets be set and adhered to.
The new rules state that batteries placed on the EU market should be “sustainable, high-performing and safe all along their entire life cycle,” including the use of materials obtained without violation of human rights and produced with minimal environmental impact.