The technology that will be used for the trials, including flexible 13.56 MHz Near Field Communication (NFC) ICs, reader antennas and software, is being provided by semiconductor company PragmatIC. The pilots are part of the company's Sustainable Plastics Recycling Innovation by Tagging Electronically (SPRITE) program, which was announced this past spring, and are expected to extend into spring of 2022.
PragmatIC's flexible IC
PragmatIC makes flexible electronics that include NFC chips compliant with ISO 14443, without the use of silicon. These chips, called FlexIC, are designed to be thin and bendable, the company reports, to enable the application of a single antenna layer, and they can be attached to paper or plastic inlays. The FlexIC is designed to be lower in cost than standard NFC chips, and the company says inlay and packaging firms can more easily apply the chip during the production process than they can with standard silicon chips.
The technology is intended to make the deployment of large numbers of NFC tags affordable and sustainable, says Joshua Young, PragmatIC's circular economy manager. The manufacturing process, he explains, is more sustainable since the FlexIC requires 100 times less water during the production process then standard silicone-based NFC chips do. To expand the use of its NFC chips for sustainability efforts, PragmatIC has multiple projects underway that are aimed at identifying everyday items in recycling, waste management and the circular economy. The projects are focused on reducing food waste, managing the supply chain, and enabling more automatic recycling and targeted waste management.
PragmatIC's long-term goal is to make recycling convenient and cost-effective for consumers by building NFC technology into standard bins, and by incorporating tags into everyday product packaging. The company expects three or four retailers to begin tracking goods throughout the recycling process with a few key products. Each pilot starts with a PragmatIC flexible NFC chip incorporated into bottle caps, labels or packages at the point of manufacture. The chips are also being built into or applied to reusable produce packaging.
PragmatIC is providing the stores with smart bins that come with their own NFC reader antennas for the purpose of automatic identification. The bins are being deployed at restaurants and cafés. Each NFC chip is encoded with a unique ID number that is linked to a particular product, such as a beverage or containerized food. For the SPRITE program, PragmatIC is providing cloud-based software that stores each product's ID and other related data.
The NFC chips are scanned at the point of application to create their identity in the software, and the goods are then shipped to retailer locations. Typically, Young explains, the tags will next be read on store shelves, using any NFC-enabled smartphone or a dedicated handheld NFC reader. The collected information, he says, enables the retailer to know which goods have been received and are on shelves ready for sale.
When consumers purchase tagged products, they can read the tag IDs as well. PragmatIC provides an app as part of the SPRITE program for users to download, after which they can scan tags at the time of purchase. In this way, buyers can create a link to their recycling deposits at the time of purchase, for each specific product ID. When they return, they can simply proceed to a smart bin at the participating store and drop the packaging into it. The antenna built into the bin will read the tag IDs and the software will identify whose container it is and thus refund them the deposit amount.
In addition, the technology is being tested for use with reusable packaging. Asparagus or other products would be packed on a tray that could be washed and reused once a customer returned it. Each tag ID would be read when the packaging was returned, and the tags could be interrogated during the washing and refilling processes. The data would enable retailers to know how many times the packaging had been used and when it must be replaced. The retailer would have a record of how well the reusable system was working, as well as which items were or were not being returned.
The technology is intended to make the deployment of large numbers of NFC tags affordable and sustainable, says Joshua Young, PragmatIC's circular economy manager. The manufacturing process, he explains, is more sustainable since the FlexIC requires 100 times less water during the production process then standard silicone-based NFC chips do. To expand the use of its NFC chips for sustainability efforts, PragmatIC has multiple projects underway that are aimed at identifying everyday items in recycling, waste management and the circular economy. The projects are focused on reducing food waste, managing the supply chain, and enabling more automatic recycling and targeted waste management.
PragmatIC's long-term goal is to make recycling convenient and cost-effective for consumers by building NFC technology into standard bins, and by incorporating tags into everyday product packaging. The company expects three or four retailers to begin tracking goods throughout the recycling process with a few key products. Each pilot starts with a PragmatIC flexible NFC chip incorporated into bottle caps, labels or packages at the point of manufacture. The chips are also being built into or applied to reusable produce packaging.
PragmatIC is providing the stores with smart bins that come with their own NFC reader antennas for the purpose of automatic identification. The bins are being deployed at restaurants and cafés. Each NFC chip is encoded with a unique ID number that is linked to a particular product, such as a beverage or containerized food. For the SPRITE program, PragmatIC is providing cloud-based software that stores each product's ID and other related data.
The NFC chips are scanned at the point of application to create their identity in the software, and the goods are then shipped to retailer locations. Typically, Young explains, the tags will next be read on store shelves, using any NFC-enabled smartphone or a dedicated handheld NFC reader. The collected information, he says, enables the retailer to know which goods have been received and are on shelves ready for sale.
When consumers purchase tagged products, they can read the tag IDs as well. PragmatIC provides an app as part of the SPRITE program for users to download, after which they can scan tags at the time of purchase. In this way, buyers can create a link to their recycling deposits at the time of purchase, for each specific product ID. When they return, they can simply proceed to a smart bin at the participating store and drop the packaging into it. The antenna built into the bin will read the tag IDs and the software will identify whose container it is and thus refund them the deposit amount.
In addition, the technology is being tested for use with reusable packaging. Asparagus or other products would be packed on a tray that could be washed and reused once a customer returned it. Each tag ID would be read when the packaging was returned, and the tags could be interrogated during the washing and refilling processes. The data would enable retailers to know how many times the packaging had been used and when it must be replaced. The retailer would have a record of how well the reusable system was working, as well as which items were or were not being returned.