Tracing packaging for reuse
The transition to smart reusable packaging
Packaging waste poses a serious threat to our environment, with much of our plastic, paper, tin and glass taken to landfill sites, where it takes hundreds of years to decompose.
As concern mounts around the environmental impact of packaging, the pressure is on for manufacturers to move to reusable models. But due to cost, smart reusable packaging has typically been reserved for high-value items.
Pragmatic’s solution – based on RFID tags enabled with flexible integrated circuits (FlexICs) – provides granular, asset-level data at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions, and a compelling opportunity to make reusable packaging at scale a reality.
40.5%
of plastic production in Europe is solely destined for plastic packaging
177kg
of estimated packaging waste per inhabitant in the EU in 2020
>20%
of single use plastic packaging could be replaced with a reusable alternative
1.8bn
tonnes of carbon emissions from plastic production, use and disposal annually
Enabling circular systems
Digitalised traceable packaging is critical to the success of reuse and circular systems. The status and condition of returnable items need to be monitored throughout their lifecycle, with dynamic data made available to consumers to incentivise scheme participation.
Our technology creates new capabilities in the circular economy by making individual items connected and intelligent. Our low-cost, flexible and durable chips enable multiple applications to provide effective mechanisms for recycling and reuse, which consumers can engage with wherever and whenever.
A digitalised circular economy of the future
Watch our animation demonstrating the journey of a reusable coffee cup, with an embedded tag containing our robust, ultra-thin FlexIC chip, enabling full traceability and valuable insights throughout the return cycle.
The low-carbon impact of our chips ensures that returnable items such as coffee cups are net positive. The added intelligence helps keep the cups in circulation for longer, leading to a significant reduction of overall carbon footprint across their lifecycle, compared to disposable cups.
Ultra-low-cost NFC enables reusable packaging to be digitally identifiable across its entire lifecycle
