Aldi and Arla Trial UV Tags to Track Milk Bottles Through UK Recycling System

Aldi UK and Arla Foods are testing a new approach to packaging traceability that could provide retailers and manufacturers with more detailed evidence about what happens to plastic packaging after consumers dispose of it.

The companies have launched an eight-week operational pilot using Polytag's ultraviolet tagging technology on milk bottle labels. Invisible identifiers printed onto the packaging can be detected at participating materials recovery facilities, allowing Aldi and Arla to collect data as bottles enter the recycling system.

The project builds on an earlier collaboration between Aldi, Arla and Polytag in 2023. While the previous trial used pressure-sensitive labels, the latest deployment uses wrap-around labels applied to Arla's milk bottle range at the company's Oakthorpe site.

The labels are printed by Saica Flex using fluorescent ink developed by Sun Chemical. According to the companies, the technology is intended to generate more detailed information about recycling rates and the routes taken by packaging once it has left the consumer's hands.

How the UV Tracking System Works

Polytag's system places invisible UV identifiers directly onto packaging labels using food-safe fluorescent ink. The ink can be incorporated using standard printing processes, meaning the tagging technology is designed to be added without reducing normal production speeds.

When tagged packaging passes through participating materials recovery facilities, Polytag's Plastic Detection Units identify the UV marks and capture data associated with the packaging.

Information is then made available through Polytag's digital dashboard, giving participating companies visibility into when and where their packaging has been detected in the recycling stream. The system can therefore provide evidence based on packaging actually reaching recycling infrastructure rather than relying exclusively on estimates or theoretical recyclability.

Sun Chemical said its fluorescent ink has been tested using RecyClass Washing Quick Test procedures and the European PET Bottle Platform's QT 507 test. The company also said the ink does not adversely affect the quality of recycled polymers. The Aldi and Arla project represents the first commercial deployment combining Sun Chemical's fluorescent ink with Polytag's detection technology.

From Recyclable Packaging to Evidence of Recycling

The distinction between designing packaging that can theoretically be recycled and demonstrating what happens after disposal is increasingly important for companies working on circular economy strategies.

A package can be technically recyclable but may not necessarily be collected, correctly sorted or processed into secondary material. Technologies capable of tracking packaging through waste infrastructure could therefore help brands identify differences between design specifications and actual recycling outcomes.

For Aldi and Arla, the pilot is intended to produce more detailed lifecycle information that can support future decisions on packaging design and circularity. Aldi's Plastics and Packaging Director Luke Emery said the company expects the technology to provide deeper insight into the lifecycle of the materials it places on the market. Arla Foods UK similarly said it wants to better understand packaging performance beyond the point of sale.

Polytag has also been testing the technology outside the UK. The company recently reported a 100% detection rate in work with French packaging compliance organization Citeo at a materials recovery facility in France, although performance in individual facilities or broader recycling networks may vary depending on infrastructure and deployment.

Packaging Data Gains Regulatory Importance

The pilot comes as packaging producers in the UK face a significantly changing regulatory environment.

Under the UK's Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging system, organizations responsible for packaging may have obligations to collect and report packaging data and pay fees linked to the material they place on the market. The system transfers more of the financial responsibility for managing household packaging waste to producers.

The UK scheme went live in April 2025, while recycling obligations apply from 2026 based on packaging data from the previous year. Official guidance also requires affected businesses to maintain increasingly detailed information about the packaging they supply.

For the 2026 reporting year, producers must also consider the government's recyclability assessment methodology when assessing and reporting certain packaging information.

UV tagging does not itself satisfy every regulatory reporting obligation, but technologies capable of providing verified information about packaging moving through recycling facilities could complement the datasets companies already collect for compliance, sustainability reporting and packaging optimization.

Traceability Could Influence Packaging Decisions

The potential value of the Aldi and Arla pilot will ultimately depend on the quality and coverage of the resulting data.

Tracking detections at recycling facilities can help companies understand where packaging is appearing within participating infrastructure, but the approach does not automatically provide a complete picture of every package sold. Bottles discarded in residual waste, littered, exported, or processed through facilities without compatible detection equipment may not appear in the dataset.

Nevertheless, expanding the evidence available after packaging enters the market could give retailers and manufacturers another tool for assessing circularity.

Instead of focusing only on whether packaging meets technical recyclability criteria, businesses could increasingly compare packaging design with real-world recovery data. That could support decisions involving label formats, materials, collection systems and partnerships with recyclers.

For high-volume products such as milk bottles, even relatively small improvements in collection, sorting or packaging design can become significant when replicated across large product ranges.

The Aldi and Arla pilot therefore reflects a broader shift in packaging sustainability from commitments based primarily on material specifications toward systems that attempt to measure what happens to packaging throughout its lifecycle. As producer responsibility requirements expand and companies face greater scrutiny over recycling claims, verified downstream data could become an increasingly important part of packaging and circular economy strategies.

Source: spnews.com