Coca-Cola Digitally Marks Reusable Glass Bottles with Unique Codes

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Deutschland (CCEP DE) has won an award for developing a process that digitally marks every reusable glass bottle it produces. The technology, developed in collaboration with Vetropack and Myneral Labs, engraves a unique Data Matrix code onto each bottle, making it trackable throughout its use cycle.

The pilot project is currently running at two production sites in Germany - Bad Neuenahr and Luneburg. The new process uses AI-powered camera systems to read the serial number on each bottle as it passes through the production line, creating a continuous digital history for each one.

This allows CCEP DE to precisely manage and plan its bottle inventory, replacing previous extrapolations with actual data. According to Maika Seidler, Senior Manager Digital Innovation & Experimentation at CCEP DE, 'With serialisation, we are connecting the physical bottle to the digital world. For the first time, we are able to track how our containers move through use cycles on an individual bottle basis.'

The companies involved believe that this technology will enable them to use resources more efficiently and design processes that are more optimized for long-term use.