STRATEGIES
The future of plastic pollution It is no secret that climate change is currently accelerating faster than is sustainable , and plastic pollution is part of the problem . HolyGrail 2.0 has already validated the technical viability of using digital watermarking in the waste management value chain and shown its value as a developing technology working to reduce plastic pollution .
“ The challenge now is to demonstrate the business benefits of digitalisation , as market adoption at scale is key to the success of any product or solution model ,” says Tickner .
“ Leading consumer goods players such as Procter & Gamble are crucial participants in the pilot implementation happening in early-adoption markets . They have the scale , resources , and strategic vision required to not only launch a critical mass of digitally-marked products in the market , but also enable or justify a business case for recyclers to invest in the additional equipment needed to detect and benefit from improved sortation .”
Whilst digital watermarking is an exciting and innovative solution to a global issue , the team agrees that it is not a complete solution .
The equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the world ' s oceans , rivers , and lakes every day .
“ It is likely no one sortation tool will be 100 % effective , so a combination of approaches is likely to yield the best results ,” adds De Belder .
“ It truly depends on how granular the industry / stakeholders want to be : digital watermarks provide the highest granularity levels of any technology , as each product has its own digital identity that can be used for several purposes , including sortation .”
“ Ultimately , digital watermarking is just one of the innovative solutions needed to help countries and plastics producers meet ambitious recycling targets set , and in this respect , meet increasingly stringent disclosure requirements ,” concludes Tickner .
“ But we need to overcome the chicken-and-egg situation we face on so many fronts , where recyclers do not invest because the market value is not clear , yet the market value is not clear because there is not enough critical mass of high-quality recycling operations .”
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