UK startup Polytag is strengthening its position in connected packaging through two new collaborations aimed at improving packaging traceability and material recovery. The company’s recent partnerships with Kraft Heinz and DataLase highlight the growing role of digital technologies in helping brands understand what happens to packaging throughout its lifecycle and support more circular packaging systems.
Polytag‘s platform combines GS1-compatible QR codes with invisible UV tags to assign unique identities to packaging and track materials from production through to collection and recycling. By generating data on how packaging moves through waste management systems, the technology provides brands with insights that can support packaging design, recycling performance and compliance with emerging circular economy regulations.
As part of this strategy, Polytag is working with Kraft Heinz to monitor the real-world journey of its plastic packaging and generate data that can inform future packaging decisions. The company has also announced a partnership with DataLase to combine its digital platform with DataLase’s laser marking technology, enabling high-quality, inkless QR codes to be applied to challenging substrates such as flexible films, metallic surfaces and coated materials.
Together, these collaborations demonstrate how connected packaging is evolving beyond consumer engagement towards providing reliable data that supports material traceability, recycling and circularity. By expanding the range of compatible packaging formats, Polytag aims to help brands gain greater visibility over packaging performance across the value chain.