Kraft Heinz is piloting Polytag’s UV Tag technology on select lines of Heinz Beanz and Heinz Ketchup in the U.K., gathering real-time insight into those packages’ post-consumer journeys.
The Polytag Ecotrace program and the invisible UV tags behind it will help Kraft Heinz to capture data on whether packaging is truly being recycled, in what volumes, and through which waste streams, Polytag says.
“With the help of Polytag’s UV Tag technology, this trial will help Kraft Heinz to access valuable product lifecycle data that will be instrumental in shaping a more sustainable future for plastic packaging,” says John Ryan, director of packaging for Kraft Heinz. “Transforming our Heinz squeezy ketchup bottles to become fully recyclable was a big milestone in our packaging journey. Improving how we track and trace its journey post-consumption is an important next step, and we’re excited by the possibilities this new partnership will unlock.”
Kraft Heinz uses UV Tags to inform recyclability strategies
Kraft Heinz chose Heinz Beanz and Heinz Ketchup as a starting point for this pilot as two of its best-selling products, both broadly distributed across the U.K. Following the initial deployment, the company plans to apply what it will have learned as it scales the technology across more product categories.
“The volume at which [Heinz Beanz and Heinz Ketchup] are sold and consumed means we can get meaningful data, quickly,” Ryan tells Packaging World. “What’s more, testing different materials (i.e. metal cans and plastic) gives us richer system insights that could be applied to a broader portfolio in the future.”
The pilot allows Kraft Heinz to look beyond theoretical sustainability and into its true impact.
“Success isn’t proving our packaging is recyclable – it’s proving it actually gets recycled, understanding where it doesn’t, and using that data to optimize our portfolio,” Ryan explains.
The company will evaluate three key areas as it runs the pilot:
- Verified data, like when and where an item falls through the recycling loop, to identify flaws in the system.
- Insight into consumer behavior, including how consumers are disposing of items, how they’re interpreting recycling instructions, and how much the label is influencing recycling rates.
- System-level insights about recovery and reuse rates for various materials, and where gaps might exist in current infrastructure.
Turning data into action
The insights made possible through the Ecotrace program help Kraft Heinz make sustainability decisions with confidence.
“This intel is crucial to understanding where we should focus our efforts, whether that’s knowing which SKUs to prioritize or reevaluating how we communicate with customers,” Ryan says. “Knowledge is power, and the more we know, the more effective we can be.”
This knowledge can also help Kraft Heinz as it navigates EU sustainability regulations like the Digital Product Passport and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. These regulations aim to cut back on packaging waste and improve transparency on sustainability metrics to support circularity. Real package lifecycle data can help companies like Kraft Heinz guide decision-making better than with modeled estimates.
“By tracking and tracing our packaging’s lifecycle, we can make smarter, more informed decisions about where we invest. Credible data is the backbone for compliance, and we welcome the opportunity to engage with European institutions on this topic,” Ryan says.
How Polytag’s UV Tags work
Activating packaging with Polytag’s UV Tag technology involves applying invisible, GS1-aligned 2D data matrix codes to packaging during the printing process, then detecting those tags at participating recycling facilities across the U.K.
Enabling this tracking at a large enough scale to provide valuable insights takes widespread participation, and Polytag has this covered with a network of 14 detection systems inside U.K. recycling centers.
“Located on the plastic conveyor belts of some of the largest recycling centers, the detection systems are collecting never-before-seen data at the barcode level to prove recycling at scale. Our analysis indicates these 14 units are capturing data on 40% of the domestic curbside-collected recycled material,” explains Alice Rackley, CEO of Polytag. “This footprint is expanding as the Ecotrace program continues to grow, bolstered by investment from industry leaders aiming for nationwide transparency.”
At the consumer level, these UV tags are entirely invisible without the right UV lights, meaning there is no need to change existing label artwork for products like those under Kraft Heinz’ pilot.
But with proprietary scanning units inside material recovery facilities (MRFs), UV light triggers the tags’ fluorescence, and high-speed sensors scan the tags to capture the product’s Global Trade Item Number (GTIN).
“This data is uploaded to a cloud-based dashboard in real-time, allowing brands to see exactly when and where their unique packaging formats are identified within the waste stream,” Rackley says.
The tags are material-agnostic, applicable to both the plastic packaging of Heinz Ketchup and the paper labels of Heinz Beanz in Kraft Heinz’ case. This allows the brand to track multiple packaging formats and waste streams through a single program.
“Whether the substrate is flexible plastic or paper, the detection remains consistent, allowing for a holistic view of how a brand’s entire portfolio moves through the recycling infrastructure,” Rackley says.
What brands like Kraft Heinz can learn from this technology
Beyond confirming that a package has reached a recycling facility, the system is designed to show brands like Kraft Heinz real-time data on disposal volumes, geographical hotspots, and recycling performance down to specific SKUs.
This item-level visibility can help brands to report recycled material volumes, identify recycling gaps, and determine what to change in packaging design or consumer communication to close those gaps.
“While the primary goal is currently measurement, you cannot manage what you cannot measure,” Rackley explains. “Early Ecotrace participants have seen a visibility gap close; we’ve identified that significant percentages of recyclable packaging successfully reach facilities but were previously untracked.”
And while measurement is the focus today, this technology sets the stage for active recovery.
“By identifying specific high-value polymers or food-grade plastics at the barcode level, it lays the groundwork for more sophisticated automated sorting that wasn’t possible with standard Near-Infrared technology,” Rackley says.
Kraft Heinz’ participation also places the brand as part of a broader industry effort to build recycling transparency across the U.K.
“For the first time, we’re able to collect barcode-level data at scale on the single-use plastics that U.K. households put into their recycling bins every day,” Rackley says. “Joining the Ecotrace program extends Kraft Heinz’ impact beyond its own brand, to supporting the circular economy across the whole of the nation.”
