Popular smart packaging

Not long ago, the electronic product coding technology (ePC) of the product attracted a lot of attention at the smart product packaging seminar and exhibition held by British Pira (Pira Intl.) and IDTechEx.

One of the uses of this technology is to electronically encode products through Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), which can automatically track any product that has been radio frequency marked.

In the presentation, the participants’ reaction was unexpected. According to the introduction of PIRA, 250 visitors came together, far exceeding the expectations of 100 people. This shows that the application of RFID in the packaging field has become a hot topic.

Many well-known companies have expressed great interest in this technology. Johnson & Johnson has ordered 500,000 smart labels and is currently assembling RFID readers at distribution centers. British department store giant Marks & Spencer also used electronic tags to track 3 million pots of frozen food in the supply channel.

In counterfeit areas, RFID can also help standardize the market. The director of packaging and R&D at Procter & Gamble (P&G) introduced that one of their products, despite the use of security labels (combined with fluorescent ink, micro-printing technology, and security threads), still found counterfeiting within four weeks after launch. RFID is one of the ways to stop this phenomenon.

However, because there are now 140 different ePC technology protocols, standardization is imminent. Currently the International Association of Article Numbering (EAN) and the Uniform Code Association (UCC) are working with the Auto-ID Center.

In addition, other smart packaging technologies are also being discussed, such as labels showing time and temperature, conductive inks that can react through batteries printed on paper media, and plastic packaging that shows whether bacteria are contaminated by ink.