Polytag’s Ecotrace Programme has been selected as one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026, in the Reuse & Recycle category. It is one of 300 innovations on the publication’s annual list. The recognition highlights a packaging traceability system that aims to show brands what happens to their packaging after it is used.
According to Polytag, the programme captures barcode-level proof of recycling by detecting invisible UV tags that brands activate on packaging. The tags are detected by Polytag equipment as packaging passes through recycling facilities. The technology uses global open standards to record which tagged packaging reaches those facilities and where and when it is detected.
For packaging manufacturers, printers, converters and ink suppliers, the system is designed to fit into existing production. It uses specialist fluorescent UV inks and established printing processes, and the tags are invisible to the naked eye. Polytag says they can be incorporated into packaging labels without a fundamental change to established workflows. That detail matters because adoption depends on adding traceability without rebuilding production lines.
The tags can also carry additional information about a pack, including its plastic melt flow temperature, packaging converter or food-grade status. Depending on the data encoded, Polytag says this can provide insights at pack-variant or batch level and across defined time periods. For brands and retailers, the resulting data is intended to give a clearer picture of packaging performance after use and to inform decisions on packaging design, material selection and recyclability.
Polytag said the data can also support accountability as Extended Producer Responsibility increases obligations for packaging placed on the market. In that context, the company argues that recycling data can help businesses build a stronger evidence base for packaging performance and recycling outcomes. Ocado and Waitrose are using the technology, with UV-tagged packaging generating data at enabled recycling facilities.
Industry response
Debbie Waldron-Hoines, consultant CEO at the Flexographic Industry Association, said the TIME recognition shows the role innovation can play in tackling some of the packaging industry’s biggest challenges. For printers and converters, she said, technologies that connect packaging with data about what happens after use could open opportunities to support brands in assessing packaging performance and informing future design decisions. She added that it was encouraging to see innovation connecting the print and packaging sector with wider conversations 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 to it after use. Rackley described that collaboration as key to turning better data into better decisions, helping brands design packaging with end-of-life in mind and supporting progress towards a circular economy.
The announcement did not quantify the number of enabled recycling facilities or the volume of packaging carrying the tags.