Shaping The Future of Recycling With Co-op.

Product label space is limited and continues to shrink—our invisible UV QR tags can be applied to packaging without loss of label space. These tags are invisible to the human eye and customers do not know they are there—but they allow brands to accurately track recycling of their products for the first time. 

At the same time, the label remains the best place to directly interact with consumers. By applying unique-everytime QR codes on the bottling line, we have been able to improve the customer experience by opening up a webpage at the tap of a button.

Both tags – a visible QR code, unique to each label, and invisible tags were applied to Co-op’s two-litre spring water bottles to give the retailer a new viewpoint of how their packaging was handled and disposed of by consumers and the local authority in Abergele and Teesside.

Through Polytag initiatives, brands, retailers and governments can unlock insightful information on how packaging is disposed of and recycled using GS1-approved global standards and tag formats.

Connected packaging allows brands access to packaging traceability, and consumption patterns of Co-op’s products; on the Polytag dashboards, Co-op can see at IP address level where the packaging was scanned by a customer’s phone.

The technology we used is accessible and low-cost to implement, and Polytag’s platform is fully scalable. 

Thanks to GS1 interoperability, the QR code can be read at point of sale on tills. The invisible tags have also given Co-op valuable insight into the recycling levels in the Conwy area of North Wales, with several kilos of recycling being measured.