A significant breakthrough for the recycling {industry} is claimed with the profitable detection of 100% of UV-tagged single-use plastic bottles coming into considered one of Europe’s busiest Supplies Recycling Services (MRF) in France.
The profitable challenge was undertaken by Wales-based expertise agency Polytag and international packaging compliance firm Citeo.
The collaboration between the 2 companies, centered on advancing innovation within the recycling sector, is claimed to display the effectiveness of Polytag’s resolution in offering insights into the lifecycle of plastic packaging. “Entry to correct barcode-level knowledge will allow manufacturers and retailers to fulfill Prolonged Producer Accountability (EPR) rules, monitor sustainability initiatives and enhance recycling charges,” says an announcement from the agency.
Main manufacturers step up their pursuit of recycling knowledge
The information that Citeo achieved a 100% detection fee follows the current announcement that UK grocery store chain Waitrose & Companions has joined Biffa, Ocado Retail and Marks & Spencer in supporting Polytag’s Ecotrace programme.
Via the Ecotrace programme, Polytag’s distinctive Plastic Detection Models (PDUs) have been put in in MRFs throughout the UK. “This permits manufacturers and retailers to UV Tag their packaging and procure never-seen-before, real-time insights into the gathering and sorting of single-use plastic at recycling centres nationwide,” says the group.
UV Tags confirmed to be detected on single-use plastics
Citeo detected UV Tags printed utilizing food-safe fluorescent ink utilized straight on packaging labels utilizing customary printing strategies, together with digital, flexographic solvent-based and UV-cure inks. “This low-cost, easy-to-integrate resolution doesn’t affect manufacturing pace and will be seamlessly included into current packaging processes.”
Entry to never-before-seen knowledge
Throughout its collaboration with Polytag, Citeo mentioned it was capable of entry barcode-level knowledge captured as UV-tagged gadgets entered the recycling stream and have been detected by Polytag’s Detection Models. “Firms making use of UV Tags to their packaging will be capable of view their very own distinctive knowledge in actual time by way of the Polytag dashboard, offering a complete view of every merchandise’s journey via the recycling course of. By sharing this knowledge with provide chain companions, manufacturers and retailers will help drive an industry-wide method to enhancing recycling charges.”
Combining this barcode-level knowledge with Polytag’s on-pack QR codes, that are powered by GS1 requirements, will present additional advantages, says the agency. It’s going to put together manufacturers and retailers for the swap from conventional stripy barcodes to QR codes, whereas additionally enabling them to tailor shopper advertising initiatives, create revolutionary loyalty programmes and ship partaking on-pack directions.
Alice Rackley, CEO of Polytag, commented:
“Working with a worldwide chief like Citeo and reaching a 100% detection fee in a MRF, working at regular pace throughout lively working circumstances, is a milestone second for us, and the broader recycling {industry}. It demonstrates the plain effectiveness of our UV Tags for PET bottles in full-scale facility circumstances.
“Our UV Tags, mixed with our superior detection expertise, present an unprecedented stage of perception via the availability chain, tagging and tracing each piece of packaging. On this approach, Polytag expertise empowers companies to make knowledgeable choices, to optimise their processes and to actually embrace circularity.”
A spokesperson from the Citeo innovation challenge group added: “Polytag has been chosen as a part of an innovation challenge. We wish to discover the potential of marking applied sciences and their affect on sorting efficiency in dwell environments. These are the primary outcomes we’ve seen and they’ll allow us to challenge using this new form of knowledge in packaging sorting.”
Go to https://polytag.io/ for extra data.
