Aldi is trialling “smart” milk bottles fitted with invisible tags that allow packaging to be tracked through the recycling system. The supermarket has partnered with dairy cooperative Arla and recycling technology company Polytag for the eight-week pilot.
How the tags work
Invisible fluorescent tags are being 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 can be scanned and its journey recorded, as reported by What’s The Jam?
The data will help Aldi and Arla understand where their bottles go after shoppers dispose of them and how often they are detected during recycling. Customers will not need to do anything differently and should continue recycling the empty bottles in the usual way.
Privacy and production
The tags track the packaging rather than individual shoppers and cannot be seen under normal lighting. They use food-safe fluorescent ink designed to remain compatible with the recycling process. The labels are being produced by packaging manufacturer Saica Flex and applied to Arla milk bottles at its Oakthorpe dairy in North London.
Information connected to each tag can then be viewed by Aldi and Arla through Polytag’s online platform. The technology is intended to give the businesses more reliable information about whether packaging is reaching recycling facilities instead of relying entirely on wider estimates.
Future impact
Aldi said the results could influence future decisions about the materials and designs used for its packaging. The latest trial builds on previous work carried out by Aldi, Arla and Polytag, including a 2023 pilot that used pressure-sensitive labels.
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 said the latest phase demonstrated that UV tagging technology could be introduced at a larger scale. She said it offered brands a cost-effective way to obtain more comprehensive information about recycling. Sun Chemical developed the fluorescent ink used on the labels.
Stefaan D’Hoore, the company’s director of business development for speciality inks and coatings, said it was the first commercial use of its fluorescent ink with Polytag’s technology. The trial will run for eight weeks, after which the companies are expected to assess the recycling data gathered by the tags.
