UK-based supermarket Aldi is joining forces with Arla, the largest dairy cooperative in the UK, to pilot an initiative that enhances the tracking of milk bottle packaging through the recycling chain. This collaborative effort involves Polytag, a recycling platform that employs advanced UV-tagging technology designed to analyze the lifecycle of packaging more effectively.
Following their initial collaboration in 2023, the partnership aims to refine packaging traceability and gain valuable insights into the movement of milk bottle packaging as it navigates the recycling ecosystem. The project utilizes specially formulated ink from Sun Chemical applied to wrap-around labels, which will offer comprehensive data regarding recycling practices.
This initiative signifies a significant advancement in packaging traceability, featuring UV-tagged labels on Arla’s milk bottles produced at its Oakthorpe facility. Printed by Saica Flex, these labels facilitate real-time tracking of packaging throughout the recycling process, delivering crucial visibility into recycling rates and the journey of dairy packaging.
Luke Emery, Plastics and Packaging Director at Aldi UK, remarked, “This next phase with Polytag represents an exciting step forward in how we use data to drive our sustainability strategy. By integrating this advanced traceability technology into our packaging, we can gain deeper insights into the lifecycle of our materials.”
Helena Delgado Nordmann, head of sustainability at Arla Foods UK, noted, “As Europe’s largest dairy cooperative, Arla is committed to understanding how our packaging performs beyond point of sale. By working with Polytag, we hope to gain valuable insight into how milk bottle packaging moves through the recycling system, helping us to make more informed decisions about future packaging developments and supporting our ongoing efforts to improve packaging circularity.”
According to Stefaan D’hoore, Director of Business Development at Sun Chemical, “This next phase of the collaboration showcases Sun Chemical’s proprietary fluorescent ink technology for wrap-around labels. The ink has been tested against Recyclass’ Washing Quick Test Procedures and EPBP Quicktest QT 507 with commendable results. It has also been approved for use on labels designed for optimal detection by Polytag’s ink-agnostic detection units, ensuring robust recycling data while maintaining the quality of recycled polymers. This deployment represents an exciting milestone as the first commercial implementation of Sun Chemical’s fluorescent ink with Polytag’s technology, illustrating how collaboration throughout the packaging value chain can enhance transparency and drive the shift towards a circular economy.”
So, how does this UV technology function?
Invisible UV tags are printed directly onto packaging labels using food-safe fluorescent ink, which has undergone thorough safety and recycling assessments. The ink is applied through standard printing techniques, allowing for a low-cost, easily integrated solution that does not compromise production efficiency. In contrast to the 2023 trial, which employed pressure-sensitive labels, this updated version uses wrap-around labels, offering improved durability and coverage.
As tagged packaging enters the recycling stream, Polytag’s Plastic Detection Units at Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) capture data at the barcode level in real-time. This information is accessible through the Polytag dashboard, granting brands and retailers comprehensive visibility into their packaging’s recycling journey.
Alice Rackley, CEO of Polytag, stated, “This next phase deployment with Aldi and Arla milk bottle labels demonstrates the scalability and reliability of the UV-tagging solution. It’s been a pleasure working with Saica Flex to deliver this latest stage of the project, showcasing the value of collaboration in bringing innovative packaging solutions to market. This marks continual progress in packaging design, providing brands with a seamless, cost-effective means to obtain comprehensive recycling insights.”
Polytag has positioned itself as a frontrunner in recycling innovation, recently achieving a remarkable 100% detection rate in collaboration with Citeo at a busy MRF in France.
The data gathered from UV-tagging serves as the initial step toward delineating the lifecycle of product packaging with factual insights, allowing brands to measure their progress against sustainability goals. It supports data-driven decisions that could reveal further opportunities to enhance recyclability and improve recycling outcomes.
Recently, Polytag published a white paper titled ‘EPR That Works: Incentivising Real Recycling with Data and Innovation’, supported by prominent compliance agencies like Ecosurety and Valpak, as well as major UK retailers such as Waitrose, M&S, and Ocado Retail. The aim is to shape the future of recycling through verified data and advance the circular economy, available for reading at www.polytag.io.
