Today we introduce Polytag, a standout startup featured in the goCircular Radar community, whose technology drives the circular economy of packaging, helping brands to manage their recycling obligations, increase the use of recycled materials, and generate valuable data.
What challenge does your startup address, and what solution do you propose?
Polytag addresses the global challenge of packaging waste and inefficiencies in recycling systems. Despite widespread awareness, most plastic packaging waste is still downcycled into lower-grade materials, while the lack of post-consumer data is inhibiting progress. Polytag’s technology addresses this problem through four key solutions: 1) incentivising correct consumer disposal behaviour; 2) surfaces never-before-seen product level data at recycling centres, and supports supply chain traceability; 3) sorts high quality, food grade material to be effectively recycled; and 4) operates efficient reuse schemes.
We use next-generation QR codes and invisible ultraviolet watermarks to tag and trace packaging – low-cost and easy-to-apply solutions. We work with all key stakeholders across the value chain, including ink manufacturers, label printers, consumer apps, recycling operators, packaging compliance agencies and governments. Polytag works for brands and retailers to help them meet their environmental, social and governance commitments, as well as the requirements of forthcoming environmental legislation – all through a single, straightforward technology platform.
How and why did you embark on this entrepreneurial journey? Any advice from your own experience that you would like to share with future entrepreneurs?
After working for large companies in the retail space I was shocked at the lack of consideration for what happens to products and product packaging post consumption, and I felt uneasy at the intrinsic link we currently have between mass consumption and economic prosperity. I knew I had to get involved somehow, and I wanted to do something that had a broad impact across industries.
Fortunately, I found what I was looking for in Polytag, and I was officially employee number three in the organisation! I think it’s a positive thing to gain work experience with a bigger organisation, to understand how they operate and the challenges they face. This experience is invaluable when you found a startup as you can see the challenges from their side, speak their language, and understand better how to collaborate with them to make positive change.
How do you expect the sector to evolve? And what are your expectations for your startup?
There is lots of upcoming environmental legislation that will impact the responsibility brands have with regards to their entire product and packaging lifecycles, such as PPWR, ESPR (Digital Product Passport) and Deposit Return Schemes. I see this as very positive as it will support much needed investment into the recycling sector, improve the adoption of reuse schemes, and drive consumer engagement by providing more transparency and incentivising the correct behaviours.
Some Governments are already discussing the notion of using third party, validated data to offset Extended Producer Responsibility fees when genuine recycling or reuse can be demonstrated, and we plan to continue developing our network in recycling centres to enable data collection and advanced sortation at scale. And with the recent announcement by the Welsh Government on DRS that did not mandate return to retail, we expect further progression on the Digital Deposit Return Scheme as a hybrid system alongside a smaller network of RVMs to enable consumers more choice when recycling.
Any new developments in the near future you would like to share with other startups?
We are proud members of a number of GS1 offices across the world, from the UK, to the USA, to Australia! We plan to run webinars showcasing how our technology works to support circularity, and how open standards and collaboration is the only way to drive this forward, which we are massive advocates of.
In which areas would you like to collaborate with other startups, companies, or organisations?
We have a strong partnership with Pellenc, a world leader in optical sorting at recycling centres, and we’d like to continue demonstrating our technology in new markets as this is key to achieving our goals on improving packaging circularity. We operate an open eco-system built on global open standards, where anybody doing anything related to packaging and circularity can benefit from this and can plug into our network. We’re always looking to collaborate with any stakeholder that plays a part in the circularity of packaging.