Coca-Cola German bottler, Vetropack, Myneral labs develop AI-powered reusable glass bottle traceability system

GERMANY – Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Deutschland, Vetropack and Myneral Labs have developed a digital traceability system that assigns a unique engraved Data Matrix code to each reusable 0.75 L glass bottle, with AI-powered cameras reading the codes during every production pass at Bad Neuenahr and Lüneburg.

The system, which won the German Packaging Award 2026 in the Digitalization category, enables CCEP DE to track individual bottles across reuse cycles for the first time. 

Vetropack engraves the data matrix codes directly onto the bottles during glass production, while Myneral Labs provides AI-powered camera technology and evaluation software.

Serialization and Digital Tracking of Reusable Packaging

Each glass bottle receives an engraved data matrix code, which is read by AI-powered camera systems on the production line at every pass, enabling the tracking of individual bottle movement through use cycles. 

Maika Seidler, Senior Manager for Digital Innovation and Experimentation at CCEP DE, stated that with serialization, the company is connecting the physical bottle to the digital world, allowing for the first time the tracking of containers through use cycles on an individual bottle basis to use resources more purposefully and design processes more efficiently. 

The companies aim to make the reusable cycle digital and transparent, enhancing precise quality control and recall management.

Partnership and Award Recognition

The collaboration between CCEP DE, Vetropack, and Myneral Labs—winner of the Coca-Cola innovation initiative “Open Challenge”—won the German Packaging Award 2026 in the “Digitalization” category. 

Following an initial pilot at CCEP DE’s Bad Neuenahr production site, the technology has also been introduced at its Lüneburg plant, enabling reusable bottle inventories to be tracked digitally. 

Erich Jaquemar, Key Account Manager at Vetropack, stated that the combination of material expertise and digital solutions opens up new possibilities within the reuse cycle, with serialization enabling the foundation for long-term, future-proof optimizations. 

The system represents a significant advancement in the circular economy for reusable glass packaging, providing brands with data to optimise bottle lifetimes and logistics efficiency while enhancing sustainability credentials. 

The partnership also demonstrates how digital technologies can enhance the circularity of reusable packaging systems while providing consumers with greater transparency about the product lifecycle.

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