Ocado Retail is applying invisible tags to its milk products to gather information on the lifecycle of the packaging.
The online grocer announced the roll out of Polytag ultraviolet watermarks on the cartons.
These tags will give Ocado detailed insight into where and when the packaging is being recycled after use.
The grocery delivery giant trialled watermarks on milk bottles in 2023 and last year placed Polytag digital link stamps on more than 60 products.
More than 100 Ocado Retail own-label products now feature QR codes that provide consumers with clear recycling instructions and sustainability information.
Plastic detection units installed by Polytag at seven material recovery facilities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are capable of monitoring almost half of the UK’s household recycling stream for watermarks.
Polytag said data gathered would “provide a new level of traceability that can support real-time optimisation of recycling strategies, ultimately improving recycling rates”.
Chief executive Alice Rackley added: “This is the beginning of an industry-wide shift towards a more transparent recycling system. Ocado Retail’s scale and pace in rolling out this technology has established a template for the whole industry.”
