M&S has become the first UK supermarket to roll out invisible UV tags to some of its milk bottles to track them through the recycling system.

The tags, developed by software firm Polytag, have been printed onto the labels of the retailer’s four-pint milk bottles in a bid to increase recycling rates.

Once shoppers have recycled the bottles, the tags will be scanned by Polytag’s plastic detection units, if the recycling facility has been retrofitted with the technology.

This will enable the food and fashion retailer to see live recycling data and access real-time, barcode-level insights into the recycling of its single-use, plastic packaging.

Polytag said the data had been designed to accurately track sustainability targets, enhance the accuracy of recycling claims, and boost compliance with regulations that require companies to fund the recycling and management of their product packaging waste.

It is hoped that the UV tags will help lower the supermarket’s costs under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules via more precise reporting.

The launch comes as M&S is thought to be facing a £40m recycling-tax bill arising from new packaging levies that come into effect in October.

The retailer has invested £100,000 into Polytag’s Ecotrace programme, which seeks to drive the implementation of a nationwide, invisible UV tag reader network. 

M&S Food head of packaging Mark Hitschmann said: “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.”

Polytag said that it was working with other retailers including Waitrose, Co-op and Aldi to roll out UV tags to their products.

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