Ocado Retail has announced it is rolling out invisible UV tag technologies across its full milk range.

The online supermarket says it is the first UK grocer to scale packaging traceability through its partnership with Polytag, which develops the technology.

While the UV tags are invisible to customers, they can be read at Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs).

This enables Ocado to gain access to item-level data on where and when packaging is recycled.

The company says that move offers a level of visibility that has "never before been available at this scale."

Laura Fernandez, senior sustainability manager at Ocado Retail said that the business is constantly on the look out for data-driven approaches to reducing environmental impact.

“The technology allows us to truly understand the full lifecycle of our packaging, and make meaningful decisions based on that data,” she added. “Being able to track our products through the recycling system is a significant milestone as we pave the way toward more sustainable practices.”

Ocado Retail is already a founding partner of Polytag's Ecotrace Programme, which it describes as a "world-first initiative" designed to reshape how the UK's packaging is tracked and accounted for once it goes to waste.

More than 100 Ocado own-label products now also feature Polytag QR codes that provide consumers with clear recycling instructions and sustainability information.

Through the programme, Polytag has installed a network of Plastic Detection Units (PDUs) in high-volume MRFs across the UK and Northern Ireland.

These units monitor nearly 50 per cent of the UK’s household recycling stream, detecting UV-tagged items automatically and sharing live, verified data via the Polytag dashboard.

Ocado Retail's announcement comes after Marks & Spencer (M&S) last week said it had become the first UK retailer to introduce invisible UV labels on four-pint milk bottles.

The UV tags, also developed by Polytag, aim to provide M&S with real information on where, when and how much of its single-use plastic packaging is collected and sorted in UK recycling centres.

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