Waitrose has launched a groundbreaking nationwide initiative, becoming the first major UK supermarket to implement invisible recycling tags on the plastic packaging of its own-brand fresh milk.
A New Era for Plastic Recycling
The supermarket has significantly expanded its partnership with the recycling technology firm Polytag. This move sees invisible tags being applied to the majority of its own-label fresh milk range, with firm plans to extend this technology to other major product lines in the near future.
To support this scheme, Waitrose has made a £100,000 investment in detection units. These have been installed at two of the UK's largest and most advanced AI-powered recycling facilities. This infrastructure will allow the retailer to gather precise, real-time data on how much of its plastic packaging is successfully being recycled.
Data-Driven Decisions and Government Collaboration
The data harvested from this system is intended to be transformative. It will provide Waitrose with concrete evidence to inform future packaging design and recycling strategies. Furthermore, this information will be shared with the UK governments in England and Wales to enhance their understanding of consumer recycling habits and plastic management.
Denise Mathieson, Head of Packaging Innovation and Programme Delivery at Waitrose, stated: "We know that many Waitrose customers are committed to recycling, and with Polytag's invisible tag solution we can start monitoring the recycling of our packaging at scale using real-time data." She emphasised that improving recycling requires collaboration and that they will discuss with the government how this data can "positively incentivise industry action."
Industry-Wide Potential and Festive Cheer
This nationwide rollout follows an initial trial announced in April 2025. Polytag has indicated that its technology is capable of detecting tags from other retailers and schemes, raising the possibility of future cross-industry collaboration to tackle plastic waste collectively.
Alice Rackley, CEO of Polytag, commented on the partnership: "Having barcode-level data is a fundamental starting point to benchmark and improve recycling performance over time – what gets measured gets managed. The ambitions that Waitrose has for the Polytag solution are super exciting."
In other news, Waitrose has also captured public attention with its release of a four-minute Christmas advert, a romantic comedy starring acclaimed actress Keira Knightley and comedian Joe Wilkinson. The advert, which focuses on a shared love of food, has been well-received, adding a touch of seasonal warmth to the retailer's brand.
