Polytag’s Ecotrace Programme has been selected for TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026, appearing in the Reuse & Recycle category. The programme is one of 300 innovations on the publication’s annual list. It is designed to give brands more information about what happens to their packaging after it has been used.
At the centre of the system are invisible UV tags that brands activate on packaging. Polytag equipment detects the tags as packs pass through recycling facilities, capturing barcode-level data. The technology uses global open standards, and the records can show which tagged packaging reaches a facility and when and where it is detected.
Built around existing print workflows
For packaging manufacturers, printers, converters and ink suppliers, Ecotrace uses specialist fluorescent UV inks and existing printing processes. The tags cannot be seen by the naked eye and can be incorporated into packaging labels without requiring a fundamental change to established production workflows. That allows traceability to be added within familiar printing operations rather than through a separate production route.
The tags can also carry additional information about a pack, including its plastic melt flow temperature, the packaging converter or its food-grade status. Depending on the data encoded, the system can provide insights at pack-variant or batch level and across defined time periods. Polytag says this gives brands and retailers a clearer picture of post-use performance, helping inform decisions on packaging design, material selection and recyclability.
Retail use and EPR evidence
Ocado and Waitrose are using UV-tagged packaging, which is generating data at enabled recycling facilities. Polytag also links the programme to Extended Producer Responsibility. It says that as EPR increases accountability for packaging placed on the market, the data can help businesses build a stronger evidence base for packaging performance and recycling outcomes.
Debbie Waldron-Hoines, consultant CEO at the Flexographic Industry Association, said the TIME inclusion shows the role innovation can play in tackling some of the packaging industry’s biggest challenges. She said technologies that connect packaging with data about what happens to it after use could open opportunities for printers and converters to support brands in assessing performance and informing design decisions. She welcomed innovation that connects the print and packaging sector with wider discussions about recycling and circularity.
Alice Rackley, chief executive of Polytag, said being named one of TIME’s Best Inventions was an endorsement of work across the packaging value chain to make packaging lifecycles more visible. She said the programme brings together packaging producers, ink specialists, retailers and recycling operators, connecting expertise to bridge the gap between how packaging is designed and what happens after use. Rackley said this collaboration is key to turning better data into better decisions, helping brands design with end-of-life in mind and supporting progress towards a circular economy.