Polytag’s invisible UV tagging technology aims to close a persistent gap in packaging recycling: knowing whether recyclable packaging is ever recycled.
The Welsh company’s Ecotrace Programme has been named one of Time magazine’s Best Inventions of 2026 in the reuse and recycle category. The annual list features 300 innovations.
Launched in 2024, the programme is deployed across 14 UK recycling centres. It uses fluorescent UV tags and detection technology to capture barcode-level data on packaging reaching recycling facilities.
Stores currently using the UV tags include:
- Waitrose
- Marks & Spencer
- Aldi
- Co-op
- Kraft Heinz
Revealing packaging flows
Polytag prints the tags onto packaging using food-safe fluorescent ink. The markings remain invisible to the naked eye but can be detected by optical scanners at recycling facilities.
The tags can store information about packaging materials, composition and origins. This helps recycling operators identify materials more accurately and gives brands and retailers greater insight into what happens to their packaging after use.
‘It’s not just about collecting information,’ says Polytag ceo Alice Rackley. ‘It’s about being able to act on the information to improve real recycling at scale.’
Boosting traceability
The technology offers packaging manufacturers, printers, converters and ink suppliers a way to build traceability into existing production processes. The tags can be incorporated into packaging labels without fundamentally changing established workflows.
Brands can use these insights to inform packaging design and assess recyclability claims.
Based in Deeside, Wales, Polytag aims to improve packaging traceability across the UK recycling network. Its recognition by Time highlights the growing role of data in understanding what happens to packaging after use.
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