Polytag’s Ecotrace Programme has been selected as one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026, in the Reuse & Recycle category. The programme is among 300 innovations on the publication’s annual list and is intended to give brands more visibility over what happens to their packaging after use.
Ecotrace works by detecting and capturing data from invisible UV tags that brands activate on packaging. The tags are invisible to the naked eye and can be incorporated into packaging labels using specialist fluorescent UV inks and existing printing processes. According to Polytag, this allows packaging manufacturers, printers, converters and ink suppliers to build traceability into packs without requiring a fundamental change to established production workflows.
As tagged packaging passes through recycling facilities, Polytag equipment detects the tags. The system operates using global open standards to capture barcode-level data showing which tagged packaging reaches those facilities, and where and when it is detected.
Data beyond the barcode
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, Polytag says this can provide insights at pack-variant or batch level and across defined time periods.
That data is intended to give brands and retailers a clearer picture of how packaging performs after use, helping to inform decisions about packaging design, material selection and recyclability. Polytag added that as Extended Producer Responsibility increases accountability for packaging placed on the market, the information can help businesses build a stronger evidence base for packaging performance and recycling outcomes.
The technology is being used by Ocado and Waitrose, with UV-tagged packaging generating data at enabled recycling facilities.
Industry reaction
Debbie Waldron-Hoines, Consultant CEO at the Flexographic Industry Association, said the inclusion showed 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 to it after use could open new 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 a strong 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. According to Rackley, that 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.