The HolyGrail 2.0 initiative and GS1 are developing an Open Data Architecture for an intelligent sorting ecosystem – having selected GS1’s GTIN standard to bring the solution to market.
By 1st January 2030, all plastic packaging sold in the European Union must be recyclable. As such, the HolyGrail 2.0 initiative – driven by AIM and powered by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste - underlines the importance of designing an open architecture to improve the sorting of post-consumer waste and ensure that discarded packaging enters the correct material stream.
In order to meet the EU-wide goal of achieving a circular economy, the HolyGrail 2.0 initiative seeks to digitise the sorting process for post-consumer packaging waste through an open and interoperable system and bring accurate sorting to scale. GS1 in Europe is partnering with the initiative to help establish the open architecture’s data management.
Stakeholders across the packaging value chain – brand owners, retailers, packaging suppliers, waste management operators, recyclers, and technology and machine providers – that are part of the consortium have also come together to help in this undertaking.
GS1’s GTIN standard has been chosen for HolyGrail 2.0’s incoming market plans, as it is already established as an industry standard across various sectors for other applications, and is scanned around 10 billion times a day.
In applying open standards, selecting a common identifier, and raising concepts for interoperable data exchange, the initiative also plans to attribute roles and responsibilities to each stakeholder in a complex value chain. This is expected to ensure that industry players understand their boundaries and accountabilities and can contribute effectively to the intelligent sorting infrastructure.
This Open, Standardised, and Interoperable Architecture is intended to go beyond the HolyGrail 2.0 Initiative, and is expected to boost innovation and competition, attract new stakeholders, and lay down the foundation for an Open Intelligent Sorting Ecosystem – achieving GS1 and the HolyGrail 2.0 Initiative’s shared goal of achieving a circular economy for packaging.
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