39 PRODUCTS PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 0/24 www.petpla.net Wipotec and Coca-Cola closing the loop via laser marking Wipotec, a company based in Germany’s Palatinate region, and Coca-Cola Latin America are strong partners. Together, they have launched a new project to make the circular economy a reality in the region. Coca-Cola was actively looking for a partner to realise its vision of direct bottle marking. “The development took about two years and included not only Wipotec’s hardware, but also the business case and the data management pool,” says Thomas Krämer, Global Account Manager Product Marking at Wipotec. “Our experience in pharmaceutical serialisation was extremely valuable here.” Each bottle is labelled with an individual QR code in accordance with the GS1 Digital Link Standard using special laser technology, making its life cycle transparent. Read by an industrial camera system, Coca-Cola obtains important data about the service life or return rates and can therefore plan more efficiently and use resources more sustainably. Consumers receive information about recycling on their smartphone via the code. It is also used when returning bottles at the deposit machine. Operations are already underway in Chile. “In Brazil, another production line is currently being installed. Next up is Costa Rica as a pilot for Central America. A rollout across Latin America is also in planning,” says Krämer, who is closely involved in driving the project forward. He adds, “Latin America is quite active when it comes to the circular economy. The market is large and offers strong potential for better resource utilisation. Additionally, some of the regions are geographically quite isolated, making them ideal for regional pilot projects.” www.wipotec.com PETproducts
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