268: Unlocking New Value From Waste Streams

In a world grappling with environmental challenges and a cost of living crisis, this episode dives into the evolving sustainability narrative. Alice Rackley, CEO of Polytag, joins Oliver Banks to shed light on the resurgence of sustainable initiatives amidst global challenges. Explore the intricacies of supply chain transparency after purchase and the viability of deposit return schemes. Alice helps you discover how innovations allow leading retailers to blend effective recycling and meaningful customer engagement whilst unlocking new data sources and valuable insights.

Listen to this podcast episode to hear:

• Understand the impact of supply chain visibility on the business and the planet.
• Expert viewpoint on the UK’s deposit return scheme, and similar recycling schemes worldwide, and how they influence retail.
• Explore innovative retail trials linking recycling with customer rewards engagement and data insights.

 

 

Introducing Alice Rackley

Alice is the CEO of Polytag the innovative recycling technology company that has won two prestigious awards this year – a UK Packaging Award and The Grocer Gold Award for ‘pioneering a new approach to recycling’.

With experience at Waitrose, M&S and Deloitte, Alice has spent the last 15 years developing digital solutions for the retail sector she has now turned her attention to the recycling industry: ripe for disruption and full of ‘never-before-seen-data’ , which is essential if you are an FMCG brands dealing in single-use plastic. The data that Polytag can unlock for brans is urgently to avoid greenwashing, respond to new packaging legislation and to inform sustainability strategy and investment decisions.

Alice predicts that every business selling product in single-use plastic will need a Polytag subscription before 2027.

Learn more about Polytag to understand more about how QR codes are transforming the packaging waste stream.

Connect with Alice Rackley on LinkedIn, or send Alice an email at alice@polytag.io to explore how you can unlock new opportunities.

Additional podcast episodes to listen to next

The circular economy was a key theme in the discussion with Alice. However, like many other important topics, circularity is at risk of being misunderstood and an overused “buzzword”. In episode 136: Understanding The Circular Economy, former fashion designer and retail CEO, Karen Bendell joins to educate about the huge opportunities to retailers, brands and supply chains and how to leverage the model.

With sustainability increasing up the agenda, we are seeing 6 new business models emerge across the retail industry. Each one is driven by sustainability, with a particular focus on improving environmental aspects. Join Oliver Banks in episode 181: 6 New Business Models Driven By Sustainability to understand the model and their specific challenges and impacts to the existing operating model.

And finally, in episode 66: Profit vs. Planet, Oliver Banks explores the biggest challenge that humankind has ever faced. Discover why the sustainability challenge means that the retail industry will have to fundamentally transform and what that means on a macro level.