Waitrose has announced a significant new sustainability initiative, launching invisible recycling tags across its entire estate of 422 UK stores starting this week.
The Technology Behind the Change
The supermarket is implementing smart, invisible tags on its own-label milk bottles. This technology, which builds on a collaboration with the company Polytag that began in April, is designed to help track how effectively customers are recycling their packaging.
For shoppers, the change will be imperceptible. The tags are invisible and the system works seamlessly in the background, requiring no extra effort from consumers.
A Data-Driven Approach to Recycling
Denise Mathieson, Head of Packaging Innovation and Programme Delivery at Waitrose, explained the rationale behind the move. "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 said.
Mathieson also highlighted the potential for broader industry impact, stating, "Improving recycling and protecting resources requires collaboration, and we will be discussing with the UK government how this data can be used to positively incentivise industry action."
Future Expansion and Industry Impact
This initial rollout on milk bottles is just the beginning. Waitrose has confirmed plans to expand the use of this invisible labelling to other products in the future.
Alice Rackley, CEO of Polytag, expressed her enthusiasm for the project, noting, "Having barcode-level data is a fundamental starting point to benchmark and improve recycling performance over time – what gets measured gets managed."
She added, "The ambitions that Waitrose has for the Polytag solution are super exciting, and the whole team at Polytag is feeling energised by Waitrose’s vision and commitment to have an intentional positive impact on UK recycling performance."
This environmental news follows recent government support for households, such as the Department for Work and Pensions' Household Support Fund, which has seen councils like Surrey offering e-vouchers of up to £300 to help families with essential costs.
