Arla, Aldi partner to aim to boost milk bottle recycling

UK – Aldi and Arla have launched an operational trial utilizing invisible ultraviolet (UV) tagging technology on milk bottle packaging to track how plastic bottles move through municipal recycling systems, aiming to boost packaging circularity and supply chain

In the latest phase of a collaboration that dates back to 2023, the brands are hoping to gain a better understanding of how milk packaging moves through the recycling system.

UV-tagged labels (printed by Saica Flex and using Sun Chemical’s food-safe fluorescent ink) are applied to Arla’s milk bottles at its Oakthorpe site. The labels facilitate real-time tracking of packaging through the system.

In the initial trial pressure-sensitive labels were used, but this time wrap-around labels were chosen in a bid to boost durability and coverage.

After tagged packs enter recycling streams, Polytag’s specialist units installed at Materials Recovery Facilities are able to capture barcode-level data in real-time – data that is also available to participating companies via a dashboard.

Helena Delgado Nordmann, head of sustainability at Arla Foods UK, added: “As Europe’s largest dairy cooperative, Arla is committed to understanding how our packaging performs beyond point of sale.

The ultimate goal is to empower brands to measure progress and make data-based decisions that could ultimately improve recycling rates.

On that note, Luke Emery, plastics and packaging director at Aldi UK, said: ” By integrating this advanced traceability technology into our packaging, we can gain deeper insights into the lifecycle of our materials.”

“By working with Polytag, we hope to gain valuable insight into how milk bottle packaging moves through the recycling system, helping us to make more informed decisions about future packaging developments and supporting our ongoing efforts to improve packaging circularity.”

In 2023, Aldi partnered with Polytag to trial invisible UV tags on its packaging with the goal of capturing recycling data and bolstering traceability throughout its supply chain.

This UV reading technology was developed by Polytag in collaboration with researchers at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre.

By providing Aldi with access to information surrounding the life cycle of its packaging, it is hoped that the retailer will be able to more accurately gauge its progress towards its sustainability targets, such as a 50% reduction in its carbon footprint by 2025.

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