As global focus on sustainability intensifies, the packaging industry finds itself at a pivotal crossroads.
Central to this shift is the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), aimed at minimising environmental impact through smarter, more sustainable practices.
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By GlobalDataAt the forefront of this change is Alitheon, a company redefining the concept of packaging traceability and authentication with its cutting-edge optical AI technology, FeaturePrint.
Alitheon’s CEO, Roei Ganzarski, discusses how this technology aligns with global sustainability goals and how it stands to revolutionise packaging by eliminating traditional identifiers and enhancing traceability.
The challenge with traditional packaging identifiers
Ganzarski begins by highlighting the inherent flaws in current serialisation methods.
“Serialising, in this case packaging, is mostly based off of additives or proxies, meaning I add something to the package. In this case, maybe it’s a barcode, a QR code, a sticker, a hologram, a serial number, I’m adding something,” says Ganzarski.
“The challenge with that is, although technically it works, at best you’re authenticating and identifying the proxy, not the package. At worst, you’re creating a false sense of security because a consumer or a company might look at that hologram sticker and say if the hologram sticker is there and it’s real then the package must be real. And of course, the contents then must be real.”
He points out that counterfeiters can easily manipulate or replicate these proxies, leading to a global counterfeit and grey market problem estimated at $3trn annually.
“Anyone who can add something to a package, someone else can either remove it intentionally or unintentionally, manipulate it or even copy it and so the challenge is, how do you do serialisation without having to rely on proxies?”
This is where Alitheon’s FeaturePrint comes into play.
The technology eliminates the need for any added identifiers by “fingerprinting” the package itself, much like how fingerprints uniquely and persistently identify individuals.
FeaturePrint: a revolutionary approach
FeaturePrint, as Ganzarski describes it, leverages the minute and often imperceptible variations that occur naturally during the manufacturing process.
“What Alitheon’s FeaturePrint can do is see within that range and look at all of the nuances and features of the manufacturing process that are random and not thereby design, but they constitute a fingerprint. […] The ability and the advantage of what Alitheon did with FeaturePrint is that one, we can do it with standard off the shelf cameras.”
“Two, I don’t need to train the system, as opposed to a lot of machine learning systems that are out there, which are also a branch of AI, but not what we use from an optically our perspective. […] And three, we have no false positives in production.”
This process doesn’t just create a more secure method of identification but also significantly reduces environmental impact.
Aligning with the EU’s PPWR
The EU’s PPWR aims to reduce packaging waste through reuse, recycling, and minimising the use of environmentally harmful materials.
Ganzarski sees FeaturePrint as a direct enabler of these goals.
“The package is really a necessary evil that comes with a product that we really want and so, by definition, packaging is waste from the second it is created. It’s going to end up in the garbage or in the recycling bin or in the dumpster because no one is buying the package itself,” says Ganzarski.
“The labels and all of the identification markers and anti,-counterfeit markers and anti-grey market count markers and the proof of it being a recycling product are all, by definition, working against these EU policies. I am now adding to a package, more paper, more adhesives, more plastic and stickers, more ink, all of these things, not only are they bad for the environment and wasteful they also clog up many times recycling machines.”
FeaturePrint allows companies to track packaging throughout its lifecycle, ensuring that it is reused and recycled as intended.
For instance, a company could use FeaturePrint to verify that a certain percentage of its packaging is being recycled.
“If I can identify a completely naked cardboard box that has nothing on it, no markings, no ink, no stickers. If I can take my phone and identify it, imagine what that does to this EU regulation. I’ve taken away all those negative aspects of the additives or the proxies without giving up anything in the ability to identify, trace and reuse these packages simply by taking a picture,” Ganzarski explains.
Beyond QR codes: the next step in smart packaging
As the discussion shifts to the limitations of current smart packaging solutions, Ganzarski expresses a clear preference for optical AI over traditional technologies like QR codes and RFID tags.
“It’s ironic to call it ‘smart packaging’ when we’re adding more labels and materials that ultimately harm the environment,” he remarks.
“I always find it ironic when people talk about smart packaging that’s also environmentally friendly and look at all the stickers I’m putting on it to prove that it’s environmentally friendly. So, the smart packaging today all relies on additives to your point QR codes, data matrices, RFID tags, NFC tags,” he remarks.
Ganzarski outlines several key drawbacks of these technologies.
Firstly, they require the addition of materials—ink, adhesives, plastics—that are environmentally unfriendly and complicate recycling.
Secondly, they introduce complexity into production lines, requiring space and equipment to print or attach these identifiers.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, they remain susceptible to counterfeiting.
“Anything that can be added, someone else can add as well,” Ganzarski warns.
In contrast, FeaturePrint eliminates these issues by relying on the package itself as the identifier.
Just like how fingerprints offer an irrefutable way to identify a person, FeaturePrint offers a reliable, tamper-proof way to identify packages. This method not only enhances security but also simplifies the production process and reduces waste.
A sustainable future for packaging
As companies and regulators increasingly prioritise sustainability, technologies like Alitheon’s FeaturePrint are set to play a crucial role.
By removing the need for traditional packaging identifiers and enabling full traceability through optical AI, FeaturePrint offers a path forward that is both environmentally friendly and highly secure.
As packaging is increasingly seen as a necessary evil and consumers become more educated to the lack of recyclability in identifiers, Alitheon is proving that it doesn’t have to be.
Through innovation and a commitment to sustainability, the company is helping to reshape the packaging landscape, one digital fingerprint at a time.
