In a major step forward for the UK’s circular economy, Waitrose will implement invisible tracking technology at scale with Polytag.
The retailer has rolled out Polytag’s invisible UV tags across the majority of its own-label fresh milk range, allowing it to track the journey of its plastic packaging through the recycling stream for the first time.
The move follows a successful trial earlier this year and represents a significant investment in British recycling infrastructure.
The announcement made national news with headlines from The Mirror, The Express, The Grocer and a host of other titles.
Denise Mathieson, Head of Packaging Innovation at Waitrose, commented: “With Polytag’s invisible tag solution, we can start monitoring the recycling of our packaging at scale using real-time data. Improving recycling and protecting resources requires collaboration, and we will be discussing with the UK government how this data can be used to positively incentivise industry action.”
Alice Rackley, CEO of Polytag, said, “Having barcode-level data is a fundamental starting point to benchmark and improve recycling performance over time. The ambitions that Waitrose has for the Polytag solution are super exciting, and the whole team is feeling energised by Waitrose’s vision and commitment to have an intentional positive impact on UK recycling.”