In a significant move for retail sustainability, Waitrose has announced a pioneering partnership with Welsh technology company Polytag to monitor plastic recycling at an unprecedented scale.
A UK-First Initiative for Supermarkets
The leading retailer has become the first high street supermarket to roll-out invisible recycling tags at scale, implementing them on plastic packaging across the majority of its own-label fresh milk range. The Deeside-based venture Polytag provides the innovative tagging technology that forms the backbone of this scheme.
These tags, which are invisible to the naked eye but resemble QR codes when scanned, are seamlessly integrated into existing packaging artwork. Waitrose has reinforced this initiative with a £100,000 investment in detection units at two of the UK's largest and most AI-advanced recycling facilities.
How the Technology Transforms Recycling Data
The newly installed detection units will identify the invisible tags as packaging passes through the recycling process. This system allows Waitrose to capture real-time, barcode-level data that does more than just prove recycling rates; it provides actionable insights to inform future packaging design and corporate strategy.
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 confirmed the company will discuss with the UK government how this data can be used to positively incentivise industry-wide action.
Broader Implications and Future Plans
This initiative also acknowledges the crucial role consumers play in the recycling ecosystem. Waitrose customers, who have long demonstrated a commitment to sustainability, will now have their recycling efforts verified and quantified.
The data gathered will serve dual purposes: helping Waitrose refine its packaging approach and assisting both the UK and Welsh governments in understanding how consumers manage plastic at the end of a product's life cycle.
Alice Rackley, chief executive of Polytag, commented: "It’s been a pleasure working with the Waitrose team to begin the journey of tagging and tracing their branded packaging. Having barcode-level data is a fundamental starting point to benchmark and improve recycling performance over time - what gets measured gets managed."
Looking ahead, the detection units have the capacity to identify tags from other retailers and schemes, creating potential for cross-industry collaboration. Waitrose has also confirmed plans to extend the tagging technology to additional major product ranges in the near future.
