Data capture platform Polytag has announced a partnership with Multi-Color Corporation (MCC) to incorporate its UV tag technology directly into MCC’s in-mould labelled (IML) packaging, aiming to help brands unlock consumer recycling data and support future advanced sorting capabilities for recycling.
By combining IML packaging through MCC’s Global IML business unit with Polytag’s packaging intelligence system and UV technology, the companies hope the collaboration will extend packaging traceability to applications where traditional labels may not be suitable or durable enough, such as frozen foods and other demanding retail environments.
Apparently, the UV tag acts as an ‘invisible digital fingerprint’ that can be read by specialized detection units at Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). Polytag says the tags can carry specific detailed packaging data such as material composition, recycled content, manufacturing content and material origin, enabling packaging to be identified and sorted based on attributes that are key to recycling outcomes.
This data is fed back to brands through the Polytag platform, providing recycling data that can help offset Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees and inform on-pack information and packaging design. The technology has already been deployed on milk bottles for brands and retailers including Waitrose and Ocado. Polytag adds that it recently collaborated with MCC to roll out Polytag technology on the Happy Cow’s faux brand tub packaging, in support of a recent demonstration day organized by GS1 and Pellenc ST.
In related news, Kraft Heinz joined Polytag’s Ecotrace programme in April, an initiative aiming to improve packaging recyclability in the UK through UV tag technology. The rollout began with a pilot on select lines of Heinz Beanz and Heinz Tomato Ketchup, with plans to scale the technology across additional product categories based on learnings from the initial deployment.
More recently, Polytag and DataLase teamed up to help customers apply GS1-compliant QR codes to challenging packaging substrates including films, foils, metals and coated surfaces. Set to integrate seamlessly into existing retail supply chain and recycling infrastructure, the partnership utilizes Polytag’s advanced QR code management platform alongside DataLase’s coding and marking technology in a process described as ‘fast, accurate, and adaptable’.
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