Invisible packaging watermarks offer recycling insights

UK e-commerce grocery business Ocado Retail has partnered with Polytag to roll out UV-watermark technology on the packaging of its own brand milk range.

While customers can't see Polytag's invisible UV watermarks, they can be read by material recovery facilities (MRFs), giving Ocado real-time, item-specific insights into where and when the packaging is recycled.

From this data, Ocado can understand at scale how much of its packaging is being recycled and make decisions based on that information.

Marks & Spencer's has also added the same Polytrack technology to its four-pint milk cartons, indicating the beginning of an industry-wide shift towards greater transparency around the lifecycle of packaging.

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By Kirsty Stubbs, Insider Trends, UK

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