Aldi is piloting a scheme to track the journey of empty milk bottles from homes to recycling centres, using invisible tags printed on labels. The eight-week project with dairy cooperative Arla and tech firm Polytag aims to measure how many empties arrive for recycling.
How the tracking works
Selected Aldi bottles will have invisible, fluorescent tags printed on their labels. When empties reach recyclers, the tags are scanned and their arrival recorded. The bottles will look the same, but the tags allow the retailer to track them.
Aldi and Arla plan to use the data to better understand where bottles go after being thrown away and to gain a more accurate measure of recycling rates. Customers don't need to do anything differently and are encouraged to continue recycling as usual.
Statements from partners
Luke Emery, Aldi's plastics and packaging director, said: "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."
Polytag's chief executive, Alice Rackley, said the latest phase showed that UV tagging technology could be used on a larger scale. She said it offered brands a cost-effective way to obtain more comprehensive information about recycling.
Previous collaboration and ink development
This pilot follows a previous scheme by Aldi, Arla, and Polytag that used pressure-sensitive labelling. Sun Chemical developed the fluorescent ink used on the labels. Stefaan D'Hoore, its director of business development for speciality inks and coatings, said it was the first commercial use of its fluorescent ink with Polytag's tech.
The trial will run for eight weeks, after which the companies are expected to assess the recycling data gathered by the tags.
