NFCPack

Project ID: Τ2ΕΔΚ-03538

“Printed NFC Tag on Flexible Packaging Substrates”

The NFCpack is an ambitious research and innovation project with duration 2.5 years targets to develop and produce printed NFC printed antennas on flexible substrates used for packaging, with advanced conductive inks and large-scale Roll to Roll (R2R) printing techniques. The forefront of the project lies in the development of methods and mechanisms for the development of integrated traceability systems such as NFC tags, directly into the design of packing substrates to create a smart NFC-printed package tag. The purpose of the project is to use NFC printed technology to authenticate and protect consumers from fraud or adulteration in Greek Traditional Products such as Feta.

Feta is established as a “Greek product” with recognized nutritional value. It is a significant source of revenue for the national economy as a whole, according to recent figures indicating exports of feta at a value of 427.5 million Euros in 2017. The Directorate for Rural Development draws the consumer attention to the specific characteristics of Cheese with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), “Feta”. Protecting PDO products from malicious copying or tampering is therefore a major issue of modern times and the necessity of implementing and using smart packages based on the operation of traceability systems becomes imperative.

In Greece, although initially the need to adopt traceability systems in the packaging industry was made to comply with legislation, practice showed that companies that adopted it had significant benefits, such as establishing trust relationships with their customers and suppliers, improving the efficiency of their production and supply chain and increased sales.

In this context, in order to strengthen the competitiveness of Greek enterprises in the packaging industry and food PDO industry in the field of traceability, new and emerging NFC technologies with lower production costs using printing techniques, similar to those used for printing packaging graphics, are proposed in this project. This advantage over existing NFC antenna production is the easier and faster integration into the packaging since it will not be incorporated into the final container package but during the printing of its graphics, on the packing substrate itself. This innovation will open new doors for the production of printed NFC tags by using automatic robotic processes for the installation of flexible SoCs in packaging solutions with significant socio-economic benefits.

Recently, printed NFC tag applications have been reported in the form of labels but not in direct printing on the packaging substrates. NFCpack is an ambitious project with a leading edge in the NFC Compact Printed Solution, offering consumers access to product information (labeling, handling, quality features, life cycle tracking) using smartphones, in real time, on the Super Market shelf. The smart packaging with the innovative printed NFC tag will be featured on this project in the packaging of “FETA” Olympos, a company of Greek Dairies SA

The main goals of NFCpack include:

1. Development of Optimized Printed NFC Antennas on Flexible Packaging Substrates
2. Manufacture of Printed NFC tags for their Application on Product Packages
3. Smart Packaging Standardization & Functional Assessment
4. Study on the Commercial Use of Smart Packaging with Printed NFC Tags