Aldi has launched an eight-week trial of 'smart' milk bottles featuring invisible tags designed to track packaging through the recycling system. The supermarket is collaborating with dairy brand Arla and recycling technology firm Polytag for the initiative.
How the tags work
Invisible fluorescent tags are printed directly onto the wrap-around labels of selected Arla milk bottles. When the packaging reaches a recycling facility equipped with Polytag detection equipment, the tag is scanned and its journey logged. The data collected will help Aldi and Arla determine where their bottles end up after customers dispose of them and how often they are picked up during recycling.
Shoppers do not need to change their behavior and should continue recycling empty bottles as usual. The tags monitor the packaging itself, not individual customers, and are invisible under normal lighting. They use food-safe fluorescent ink designed to remain compatible with the recycling process.
Production and data insights
The labels are manufactured by packaging producer Saica Flex and applied to Arla milk bottles at its Oakthorpe dairy in North London. Information linked to each tag is accessible to Aldi and Arla via Polytag's online platform, providing more reliable data on whether packaging genuinely reaches recycling facilities, rather than relying on broader industry estimates.
Aldi stated that the findings could influence future choices regarding packaging materials and designs. This trial follows earlier work by Aldi, Arla, and Polytag, including a 2023 pilot using pressure-sensitive labels.
Industry perspectives
Luke Emery, plastics and packaging director at Aldi, 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 chief executive Alice Rackley stated that this latest phase demonstrated UV tagging technology could be rolled out on a much larger scale, providing brands with a cost-effective means of obtaining more detailed recycling information. The fluorescent ink was developed by Sun Chemical, and Stefaan D'Hoore, the company's director of business development for speciality inks and coatings, said it marked the first commercial application of its fluorescent ink with Polytag's technology.
The trial runs for eight weeks, after which the companies are expected to evaluate the recycling data captured by the tags.
