Aldi UK Pilots UV-Tagged Labels to Track Milk Recycling

Aldi UK launched an eight-week pilot program to track the lifecycle of its milk packaging using invisible UV-tagged labels. The initiative partners with dairy cooperative Arla Foods and recycling technology firm Polytag to monitor how individual bottles move through the recycling system.

The process utilizes fluorescent ink from Sun Chemical printed on wrap-around labels produced by Saica Flex. These labels are applied at Arla Foods' Oakthorpe facility. Once the bottles reach material recovery facilities, Polytag's Plastic Detection Units identify the tags to provide precise data on recycling performance.

This project builds on a 2023 trial that utilized pressure-sensitive labels. The participating companies intend to use the gathered data to measure progress against sustainability targets and inform future packaging design.