Marks and Spencer has become the first supermarket to introduce invisible, ultraviolet tags on some milk bottles, aiming to revolutionise how plastic packaging is tracked through the recycling system. Developed by recycling technology firm Polytag, these innovative tags are now printed onto the labels of M&S’s four-pint milk bottles available nationwide, with the primary goal of significantly boosting recycling rates.
Once households recycle these bottles, Polytag’s plastic detection units will scan them if the recycling facility has been retrofitted with the necessary technology. This process will provide M&S with live recycling data, offering real-time, barcode-level insights into the journey of its single-use plastic packaging.
Polytag states that this data is designed to accurately track sustainability targets, enhance the precision of recycling claims, and strengthen compliance with regulations that mandate businesses to fund the management and recycling of their product packaging waste. It is also hoped that these tags will help reduce M&S’s costs under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules through more precise reporting.
In a further commitment, M&S has invested £100,000 into Polytag’s Ecotrace programme, which seeks to drive the nationwide rollout of an invisible UV tag reader network. Other major retailers, including Co-op, Waitrose, and Aldi, are also collaborating with Polytag to integrate UV tags into their product lines.
Alice Rackley, chief executive of Polytag, emphasised the shift in industry responsibility, stating: "Retailers and brands can no longer afford to lose sight of packaging the moment it leaves their supply chain. With EPR now in effect, we’re entering a new era where real data is not just helpful, it’s essential." She added: "By tagging products and tracking their journey through the recycling system, we’re creating a clear line of sight from shelf to sorting facility. M&S taking this first-to-shelf step signals not only a commitment to transparency, but a real shift in how the industry approaches responsibility. It’s a major milestone for the Ecotrace programme and for the wider UK recycling industry."
Mark Hitschmann, head of packaging at M&S Food, highlighted the consumer benefit: "We expect to gain more data and insight around what is happening to our packaging in the real world through our work with Polytag. Our customers consistently tell us that reducing plastic is very important to them so this is another way they can trust that M&S is doing the right thing to help them easily make more sustainable choices when they shop with us."
