Pellenc ST and Polytag announce partnership

Pellenc ST, a French design and manufacturing company focused on sorting and quality control solutions for the waste and recycling industry, has joined forces with Polytag, a United Kingdom-based platform provider specializing in packing information within the circular economy. According to Pellenc ST, this collaboration merges advanced sorting technology with invisible UV watermark-based tracking to enhance material recovery and traceability.

By combining Pellenc ST’s expertise in sensor-based sorting with Polytag’s data management, the partnership enables real-time tracking of end-of-life packaging through the recycling process from material recovery facilities (MRFs) to recyclers. According to the company, each packaging item is embedded with invisible printed UV watermarks, in the form of a GS1 open standard data matrices. As material enters the recycling stream, a detection unit captures the watermarks’ associated data. Pellenc ST says the system executes sorting actions based on near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and UV watermark.

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This partnership between Polytag and Pellenc ST aims to provide recycling facilities with new capabilities to detect and sort material streams. Pellenc ST says that by embedding smart data at barcode level directly into packaging materials, the collaboration allows waste management companies and brand owners to have more control over the recycling journey of their products, ensuring that more packaging stays within the circular economy.

“Our partnership with Pellenc ST marks a significant milestone for circularity,” Polytag CEO Alice Rackley says. “By combining our UV watermark technology, powered by GS1 standards, with their smart sorting and quality control solutions, we are giving brand owners unparalleled insight into their recycled packaging, reinforcing sustainability and traceability in the value chain.”

According to the company, Pellenc ST and Polytag have implemented a sorting prototype in the Pellenc ST Innovation Center in France and validated it to technology readiness level seven (TRL 7). In addition, Pellenc ST plans to manufacture UV reader modules. 

“Open standards are critical to implement [the] Digital Product Passport," Pellenc CEO Jean Henin says. "By partnering with Polytag, we are empowering recycling facilities with innovative tools to optimize sorting processes and enhance material recovery."