POLYTAG’S Ecotrace Programme has been named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026, recognising its role in helping brands gain greater visibility of what happens to their packaging after use.
Selected in the Reuse & Recycle category, the Ecotrace Programme is one of 300 innovations featured on TIME’s annual list. It enables businesses to capture barcode-level proof of recycling by detecting and capturing data from invisible UV tags activated on packaging.
For packaging manufacturers, printers, converters, and ink suppliers, the technology offers a way to build traceability into packaging using specialist fluorescent UV inks and existing printing processes. The tags are invisible to the naked eye and can be incorporated into packaging labels without requiring a fundamental change to established production workflows.
Brands activate invisible UV tags on their packaging, which are detected by Polytag equipment as their packaging passes through recycling facilities. The technology operates using global open standards to capture barcode-level data showing which tagged packaging reaches these facilities, and where and when it is detected.
The tags can also carry additional information about a pack, such as its plastic melt flow temperature, packaging converter or food-grade status. Depending on the data encoded, this can provide insights at pack-variant or batch level and across defined time periods.
This gives brands and retailers a clearer picture of how their packaging performs after use, helping inform decisions about packaging design, material selection and recyclability. As extended producer responsibility (EPR) increases accountability for packaging placed on the market, this data can also help businesses build a stronger evidence base for packaging performance and recycling outcomes.
The Ecotrace Programme is designed for low-cost, low-disruption adoption. Invisible UV tags can be incorporated into packaging through established printing processes, while Polytag detection units can be installed over existing conveyor belts at recycling centres with minimal engineering work and no downtime.
Developing and deploying the technology involves collaboration across the packaging supply chain, from ink formulation and label printing to packaging production and recycling data capture. Polytag’s partners include label manufacturer Interket, flexible packaging producer Saica Flex, ink suppliers Sun Chemical and Paragon Inks, and label technology specialist MCC.
The technology is already being used by major brands and retailers, including Ocado and Waitrose, with UV-tagged packaging generating data at enabled recycling facilities. Further applications are extending the approach to different label and packaging formats, including in-mould labelling.
The invisible UV tags also have the potential to support enhanced sortation at scale. Polytag is working with several optical sorters to develop this capability, with the potential to help identify and recover packaging materials more effectively and support higher volumes of good-quality recycled material re-entering the supply chain.
Debbie Waldron-Hoines, consultant CEO at the Flexographic Industry Association, said, “Polytag’s inclusion in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026 shows the role innovation can play in tackling some of the packaging industry’s biggest challenges. For printers and converters, technologies that connect packaging with data about what happens to it after use could open up new opportunities to support brands in assessing packaging performance and informing future design decisions. It’s encouraging to see innovation that connects the print and packaging sector with wider conversation about recycling and circularity.”
Alice Rackley, CEO of Polytag, added, “Being named one of TIME’s Best Inventions is a fantastic endorsement of the work being done across the packaging value chain to make packaging lifecycles more visible. By bringing together packaging producers, ink specialists, retailers and recycling operators, we’re connecting expertise from across the industry to bridge the gap between how packaging is designed and what happens to it after use. This collaboration is key to turning better data into better decisions, helping brands design packaging with its end-of-life in mind and supporting progress towards a more circular economy.”
