Polytag plastic recycling technology live and scaling across Waitrose & Partners stores in the UK
Waitrose has extended its plastic recycling partnership with Polytag into a UK wide scheme.
In doing so, it becomes the first high street supermarket to deploy invisible recycling tags at scale. These have been added to plastic packaing on the majority of its own label fresh milk range.
The move follows a trial announced earlier this year.
Denise Mathieson, Head of Packaging Design & Delivery at Waitrose, said at the time: “We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and finding innovative solutions to improve the recyclability of our packaging. Joining Polytag's Ecotrace Programme is a significant step forward in enhancing our ability to track and understand the journey of our plastic packaging post-consumption.”
“By leveraging Polytag’s technology, we will gain unprecedented insights into how our packaging is recycled, allowing us to make more informed decisions that support a circular economy.”
“This initiative aligns with our ongoing sustainability efforts and reinforces our dedication to reducing single use plastic waste. We are excited to collaborate with Polytag and other retailers to drive meaningful change at an industry level, ultimately contributing to a more transparent and effective recycling system in the UK.”
In a LinkedIn post, Alice Rackley, CEO at Polytag, said of the nationwide deployment: "Absolutely buzzing. Polytag is live and scaling across Waitrose & Partners. If you’ve ever wondered, “is it worth rinsing out my milk bottles and recycling them…?”, we see you! Keep going! With the Polytag UV tag detection network activated across the UK we are enabling brands like Waitrose & Partners to prove - at barcode level - that their customers are great at recycling."
2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS
Green retail was a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.
We received a record number of entries and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.
For a full rundown of all of the shortlisted entries, click here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC in Central London on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
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