PragmatIC Semiconductor, a world leader in flexible electronics, is pleased to announce that it will be heading an Innovate UK-funded business initiative called Smart Sustainability Plastic Packaging, which will make reusable plastic packaging solutions a reality at a large scale. TRACE (Technology-enabled Reusable Assets for a Circular Economy) is a project that will employ PragmatIC’s ultra-low-cost NFC technology to assign unique digital identities (UIDs) to reusable containers, allowing the items to be efficiently and effectively returned and reused.
The UIDs will be used throughout the lifecycle of the packages: first, by all actors in the supply chain to track each item and provide detailed data that will demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits; and second, by consumers to access their deposits or rewards, thereby establishing long-term relationships with brands and retailers and retailers.
Using reusable models offers a great chance to minimise waste and the negative impact it has on the surrounding environment. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, at least 20 percent of single-use plastic packaging might be replaced with a reusable alternative, and that shifting to reuse models may represent a USD 10 billion commercial opportunity. With a methodical approach to reusable packaging, TRACE will create new digital innovations that will be used across the whole lifecycle of these assets, including their recapture, sorting, cleaning, and reutilization, allowing new models for packaging-as-a-service.
According to Tyler Chaffo, Big Sustainability Manager at Avery Dennison Smartrac, “we have lately witnessed a commitment from global businesses to go towards more reusable packaging.” “Through item-level digitisation using PragmatIC’s ultra-low-cost NFC technology, the TRACE project will remove the primary impediments to making reuse a reality by treating packaging as a service and treating reuse as a service.”
As part of the TRACE project, PragmatIC is pleased to collaborate with the following well-known academic and industrial partners: RECOUP, Topolytics, University of Sheffield, Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, and Ken Mills Engineering.