The Co-op is set to launch a new trial looking into the number of its own-brand plastic bottles being recycled to help benchmark future rates for the industry.
Working with technology business Polytag, the partnership will be collecting recycling data to showcase the exact number of Co-op bottles being sorted at recycling centres.
The convenience retailer will be adding an invisible UV code to the label of its two litre still spring water line, so that when the bottles reaches a specific recycling centre in North Wales, the code will be identified by specialist equipment fitted to the sorting machines.
This data will then be uploaded in real-time to a cloud for Co-op to view.
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“We all have our part to play when it comes to recycling and, as a retailer, we want to gain a greater understanding on a product’s journey in the recycling chain to help paint a clearer picture and support future traceability,” Co-op Food managing director, Matt Hood said.
“This new trial will enable Co-op to gather valuable insight to provide guidance and measurement for future initiatives to encourage more people to recycle and it will also support the industry with true benchmarks for recycling rates in the UK for the very first time.”
Polytag CEO, Alice Rackley added: “We’ve optimised the UV tag reading technology so that brands can apply a simple UV tag layer to their labels and get never-before-seen data about how many of their single-use items of plastic packaging are being handled in a material recovery facility.
“We’re absolutely delighted that Co-op has agreed to work with Polytag to continue to develop and deliver technology that will enable us to all recycle more, together.”
