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HolyGrail 2.0: Digital watermark experts explore mechanical recycling’s untapped potential

HolyGrail 2.0: Digital watermark experts explore mechanical recycling’s untapped potential

The Digital Watermarks Initiative HolyGrail 2.0 has conducted new waste sorting trials and has found that sorting volumes were “remarkable,” highlighting the efficiency of digital watermarking technology for packaging waste management. Digital watermarks (DW) are postage stamp-sized codes that can be printed on packaging and carry information like material type. DW can be detected by high-resolution cameras on sorting lines, enabling extremely accurate sorting and increased recycling rates. DW’s biggest advantage over alternatives, such as Object Recognition (OR), is their proven effectiveness for flexible plastic packaging, and the additional use cases they provide beyond advanced sorting, Martyn Tickner, chief advisor of Circular Solutions at The Alliance to End Plastic Waste, tells Packaging Insights. 
Reusable packaging: Convenience and access drive consumer engagement
Reusable packaging: Convenience and access drive consumer engagement
The momentum behind reuse is real, but success demands a pragmatic approach. Packaging Insights speaks to private enterprises Closed Loop Partners, Clean Cult, Vetropack, and Returnity about the latest industry developments in reusable packaging and the challenges the market faces.
IFFA 2025 live: Multivac president unpacks sliced meat market trends
IFFA 2025 live: Multivac president unpacks sliced meat market trends
Multivac is showcasing its latest automated and digitalized meat slicing machinery at IFFA 2025 in Frankfurt, Germany. The company has signed a cooperation agreement with Provisur Technologies to offer integrated lines for bacon and raw ham products in high-output categories.
Test 30 Apr 2025
Test 30 Apr 2025
Test 30 Apr 2025
NBCo CEO talks wet molded fiber tech and plastic regulations in Southeast Asia  
NBCo CEO talks wet molded fiber tech and plastic regulations in Southeast Asia  

We speak to Alvin Lim, founder and CEO at NBCo, about the Singapore-based company’s wet molded fiber alternative to plastic. Lim explains how the solution responds to the global regulatory push for plastic-free packaging and the current plastic regulatory environment in Southeast Asia.

Meal Times Diversify
Meal Times Diversify

In this edition you will learn more about:

  • Top 5 Trends in Ready Meals
  • Elevating Texture
  • Vanilla’s Future
  • Ready Meal Circularity
  • Meal Replacements
  • Dinners Diversify
  • NPD Highlights
  • Gluten-Free Bakery
  • Sustainable Food Systems
  • Authenticity Inspires Innovation
  • New Protein Formats
  • Gene-Edited Pork
  • Fresh & Flavorful Convenience
  • Advancing Global Nutrition
  • Artisanal Appeal
  • Unleashing Flavor in Food Development
  • Opportunities in Convenience Foods
  • Palm Oil & Cocoa Sourcing
  • GLP-1 Drugs
  • Potential of Synbiotics
  • View from the Top: Jennifer Lindsey chief marketing & digital officer Corbion

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Target adds Clean Cult refillable cleaning products to US range
Refill
Clean Cult has announced the nationwide launch of its cleaning products in paper-based cartons for refill to 1,800 Target stores across the US, including hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, and all-purpose cleaner, “first-to-market” aluminum spray bottles, and multi-enzyme sheets.  “Target is where home care meets lifestyle, and now, it’s where sustainability becomes second nature,” says Ryan Lupberger, CEO at Clean Cult. “This launch is about more than shelf space. It’s about meeting millions of consumers with products that are effective, beautiful, and better for the planet — at a price point that doesn’t ask them to think twice.”
Futamura and partners unveil fully compostable sachets for liquids
A close-up of a bag of sauce.
Compostable film producer, Futamura, flexible packaging converter Repaq, and machine manufacturer GK Sondermaschinenbau have launched a fully compostable sachet suitable for ingredients such as ketchup, mustard, cooking sauces, and hand cream.Commonly used for condiments, sauces, and personal care creams, many sachets consist of complex layers of materials such as polyolefins, aluminum, and polyester. While the structure helps preserve products throughout the supply chain and ensures their required shelf life, it also makes the packaging difficult to recycle, particularly given their small size and contamination with residual product after use.
Okra and fenugreek can remove microplastics from water, study finds
hands holding plastic found on beach
A new study has indicated that okra and fenugreek may have microplastic-removal qualities, providing a biodegradable and nontoxic alternative to conventional water treatment. Published in ACS Omega by researchers from Tarleton State University in Texas, US, the study concludes that okra and fenugreek extracts can attract and remove up to 90% of microplastics from ocean water, freshwater, and groundwater.
SUPA launches bio-based hand wash packs with pine tree sap lining
paper based bottle
Single Use Plastic Alternative (SUPA) Innovations, a UK-based cleaning supplier, has announced a pine tree sap-based paper bottle coating to provide a waterproof lining for its latest hand wash range. The bottle also features a reusable matte black metal soap hand pump. 
UK DRS: Industry welcomes scheme operator and urges timely implementation
DRS UK
The UK Government, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland, and Scottish ministers have selected the UK Deposit Management Organisation (UK DMO) as the DRS operator for England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. While large industry players are represented in the DMO, non-profit sector stakeholders are demanding engagement.  The UK DMO is governed by a board representing drinks and retail sector players from the three nations, including Shepley Spring, Radnor Hills, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Heineken UK, Lidl, Tesco, and Co-op.
IFFA 2025 review: Industry spotlights cultivated meat, fermentation and clean label for future proteins
The IFFA show floor.

Food Ingredients First

Plant-based and alternative proteins took center stage at this year’s IFFA event in Frankfurt, Germany (May 3–8), where global food suppliers and producers showcased their latest innovations. As the global food system reels from climate change, inflation, and geopolitical uncertainty, exhibitors demonstrated a broad industry effort to achieve plant-based price parity and scale in alternative meat technologies to feed a growing, increasingly health-conscious population. 
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Regulatory News

Coca-Cola to revise “100% recycled plastic bottle” claims following EU pressure

Coca-Cola is updating its “100% recycled plastic” bottle claim in the EU after pressure from consumer protection authorities, who argue the statement is “misleading” and overstates the bottles’ environmental sustainability. The current claim states that the bottles are made from “100% recycled plastic,” but following pressure from the EU consumer protection authorities, the beverage giant is now changing the statement to “I’m a bottle, excluding label and cap, made from 100% / 50% recycled plastic.”

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Regulatory News

UK regulatory agency bans coffee packaging ads over “misleading” compostability claims

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned online adverts by Lavazza UK and Dualit that describe their coffee packaging as “compostable,” citing that the ads imply home compostability when they can only be composted through an industrial process.  The ASA is the UK’s independent regulator of advertising across all media. It offers advice and guidance to help advertisers understand marketing rules.

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Special report

Top Packaging Trends 2025: AI-enhanced “Connected Platforms” to advance circular economy

Innova Market Insights has revealed its Top Packaging Trends 2025, with “Connected Platforms” taking center stage. Connected technologies are widely expected to transform the packaging value chain, from waste management to brand-consumer engagement, by converting packaging into digitalized platforms. The emergence of AI systems will enhance and expedite this industry shakeup.

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NBCo CEO talks wet molded fiber tech and plastic regulations in Southeast Asia  

We speak to Alvin Lim, founder and CEO at NBCo, about the Singapore-based company’s wet molded fiber alternative to plastic. Lim explains how the solution responds to the global regulatory push for plastic-free packaging and the current plastic regulatory environment in Southeast Asia.

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IFFA 2025: Ishida Europe launches QX-800 traysealer for high-volume production
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IFFA 2025 live: DuPont PlexiLine displays food presentation enhancement packaging
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IFFA 2025 live: Sealpac launches F-series thermoformer for plastic reduction and recyclability
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