The network of the packaging industry recently met as part of the Digital Packaging Days of the German Packaging Institute e. V. (dvi). Around 300 participants benefited from impulses and insights into sustainable material innovations and technologies, machine- readable packaging systems and award-winning start-up technologies for circular economy and digitization.

The Dresden Packaging Conference has been an important network and information platform for the industry for 30 years. We were able to successfully maintain this character even in times of the Corona through the format of the digital packaging days,” said dvi Managing Director and event moderator Winfried Batzke.

At the start, the companies Nestlé, Tetra Pak, Jokey, Tchibo and the Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland) presented their sustainability projects to a student panel and put them up for discussion. The large group of all participants then dealt with the topic of sustainability, which was examined from different perspectives. Resource conservation, waste avoidance, circular economy and recycling played the main roles in the short lectures and start-up presentations.

Michail Ginsburg, Division Manager and authorized signatory of the disposal and environmental service provider PreZero, which belongs to the Schwarz Group, and its subsidiary OutNature, informed about a still relatively unknown but promising sustainable raw material for packaging. The “through-grown Silphie” is a perennial plant that has so far been mainly used as an energy plant for biogas plants. “However, it is also very suitable for paper production and has a negative CO2 balance,” emphasized Michail Ginsburg. In contrast to the use of grass, for example, “disruptive” lignin can be washed out during the washing and fibre digestion process. In addition, Silphie is completely recyclable. Further advantages are a natural coloration without chemical bleaching, an opacity of over 95 %, good compression and bursting resistance, good creasing, folding and punching as well as processing and printing properties in the common processes. Barrier solutions are also possible with Silphie paper.

Fabian Solf, CTO & Co-founder of the start-up Papair, presented the participants of the Digital Packaging Days with an innovative air cushion foil made of paper. The foil consists of 100 % recycled paper and can therefore be completely disposed of and recycled via the waste paper cycle. The first availability of roll goods is planned for the end of 2021.

Christian Schiller, Co-founder and Managing Director of the start-up Cirplus, showed how sustainability, circular economy and digitization can be brought together. The B2B platform is also a marketplace for the recycling industry and procurement software for users of plastics. Via Cirplus, recyclates in all qualities and in spot or contact quantities can be pro cured. Christian Schiller summarized the advantages and technical features of Cirplus as follows: “New standard DIN SPEC 91446 for recyclates, AI-based quantity and price prediction, global track & trace, laboratory tests and certifications, integration of logistics as well as payment processing and credit insurance”.

Vivian Loftin, Co-founder and Managing Director of Recyda, also presented an innovative digital platform. The cloud-based evaluation tool checks packaging for its recyclability and conformity for different national markets worldwide. The tool provides general as well as market-related optimization suggestions and shows transparently which packaging, packaging aids, materials or substances used are in compliance with the relevant regulations, or where improvements need to be made. “The tool also includes aspects such as demand, recycling flows or infrastructure,” Vivian Loftin noted.

Bringing digitization and sustainability together is not only a stated goal of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, but also a concern of the dvi, which was put into practice at the Digital Packaging Days.

Adolf Ahrens, owner of the consulting agency Pack + Print Consulting, presented the Digimarc system, the Holy Grail 2.0 project and the “first machine-readable packaging system for optimizing the entire process chain through to high-quality recycling”. This system, developed by Netto Marken Discount, is based on an “invisible”, machine-readable label that carries all the information requested. “For example, the code can contain the exact information about the packaging material used and thus make the detection and sorting process in recycling considerably more efficient,” explained Adolf Ahrens. “With regard to the automation of storage and logistics, the system enables scanning over a greater distance.” Another advantage is the easy capture of the code when checking out at the cash register. The relatively simple system also enables the optimization of production and quality control in the packaging process.

Christian Baumann, CEO & founder of PackPart presented the range of services of his innovative matching system for manufacturers of packaging machines and their customers. It offers a quick, easy and efficient way to find the right partner. “To start with, the customer is guided through a digital questionnaire, where he can enter the necessary specifications and present his project,” said Christian Baumann. “Existing partners and suppliers can also be
involved.”

About data acquisition and energy savings in the sealing process spoke Dr Sascha Bach, Managing Director and CTO of Watttron. The sealing systems should, for example, provide valuable services where the use of sustainable mono-material solutions means that the tolerance windows for sealing are becoming ever smaller. Another benefit of the Watttron technology is its use in quality monitoring and testing. The sensors positioned close to the surface could, for example, detect product residues, as more heat is drawn off in this area. The Watttrix-Net monitors the entire sealing process and collects data that are not only of great interest to mechanical engineers, but also to producers, retailers and material manufacturers.