As part of preparations for the upcoming Go Circular Business Summit in Rotterdam (4-6 March 2025), Nextloop and the summit team hosted a webinar for packaging and plastics industry professionals. The webinar focused on how optimizing packaging design can improve AI sorting efficiency.

Source: Globuc

Plastic recycling operates under strict regulations and relies on advanced sorting technologies. Professor Edward Kosior, a founder of Nextek and NEXTLOOPP, began his presentation by analyzing the existing regulatory framework.

FDA and EFSA regulations require that food-grade packaging must come from materials previously used for food contact, which requires careful separation of post-consumer materials. Modern sorting methods employ innovative techniques including UV-reactive fluorescent markers, hidden digital watermarks, and specialized dot pattern systems.

Prof. Kosior highlighted that three sorting technologies have emerged:

• Fluorescent markers visible under UV light
• Digital watermarks in package printing
• Curve Code system using dot patterns

The cutting-edge TOMRA GainNext system marks a significant advancement in sorting technology. This AI-powered system combines near-infrared scanning with optical cameras and sophisticated database matching to identify and sort packaging. Operating at 5 tons per hour, it achieves over 95% accuracy in food packaging separation.

Access the full webinar video replay

The AI system's learning capabilities are remarkable. Through extensive training with diverse packaging examples, it learns to recognize specific features like structural elements in food trays and distinctive bottle shapes.

"I think that we need to qualify that many plastics are technically recyclable, but what we need is to make sure packaging is 100% recyclable. In other words, if you make a package, designers should make sure that it's recyclable and can go into a recycling stream" said Mr Kosior in response to a webinar attendee's question.

This advanced recognition capability has crucial implications for package design—products must maintain consistent, identifiable characteristics within their categories, and designers should use colour coding and conventional shapes to optimize sorting efficiency.

Learn more about the Go Circular Business Summit in Rotterdam. The summit covers the entire circular value chain of plastics and brings together industry leaders to address the core challenges in plastic recycling.