UK supermarket Aldi UK and dairy cooperative Arla Foods Ingredients have launched a pilot project with recycling technology company Polytag Limited to track the recycling of plastic milk bottles using invisible UV tags, aiming to improve transparency across the packaging value chain.

The trial uses food-safe fluorescent inks developed by Sun Chemical and printed on bottle labels by Saica Flex through standard production processes. Polytag's detection units, installed at material recovery facilities, identify the tagged packaging as it enters the recycling stream, providing real-time data on collection and recycling.

The companies said the information will help brands better understand the post-consumer journey of their packaging, measure recycling performance and support data-driven decisions to improve circularity.

Polytag said the project demonstrates that UV-tagging technology can be integrated into existing packaging production without affecting manufacturing efficiency, offering a scalable approach to packaging traceability.

Aldi and Arla said the pilot is expected to provide deeper insights into the lifecycle of milk bottle packaging and strengthen efforts to achieve sustainability and recycling targets.

Image credit: Polytag