Plastics : SMART PACKAGING - A Simple Guide to High-Tech Packaging

Think of a smart package as a package that watches over, protects, and gives you information about your product.

Packaging that helps keep products fresh:

Features:

• Can do moisture control
• Have oxygen absorbers
• Can do temperature control
• Can offer antimicrobial protection

Examples:

• Sachets that absorb moisture
• Films that keep food fresh
• Packages that kill bacteria
• Materials that control temperature

Packaging that gives you information:

Time-Temperature Indicators:

• Shows if the food is too warm
• It tracks the freshness of goods
• It changes color to indicate that the goods are spoiled
• It can nonitor storage conditions

Freshness Indicators:

• It shows if food is fresh
• It changes color with spoilage
• It monitors the product quality
• It gives an alert when the goods expire

Packaging that talks to your phone:

Features:

• They use QR codes
• They use NFC tags
• They use RFID tracking
• They can interact with your smartphone

RFID labels (track location and product info) and NFC labels (can be scanned by smartphones)

Uses:

• It gives the product information
• It helps with authentication
• It helps with tracking and tracing the product
• It could also be used for marketing 

Practical applications:

Food industry:

• Freshness monitoring
• Temperature tracking
• Spoilage indication
• Authentication of products

Usage for pharmaceuticals:

• Medicine tracking
• Temperature control
• Tamper evidence
• Usage for monitoring

Usage for consumer goods:

• Brand protection (help insure the authenticity of goods)
• Customer engagement
• Product information
• Authentication

Benefits:

For companies:

• It provides a better product protection
• It helps reduce waste
• It track the products
• It helps fight counterfeiting
• It helps with the customer engagement

For consumers:

• Customer can know if product is fresh
• It can check the authenticity of the product
• It offers easy interaction in terms of getting the right information

Types of technology:

Physical indicators:

• Color changing inks
• Temperature sensors
• Pressure indicators
• Humidity monitors

Digital features:

• Electronic sensors
• Digital printing
• Smart labels
• Connected devices

Smart labels are advanced identification tags or stickers that offer more information than traditional labels. They contain embedded technology (like sensors, RFID chips, or special inks), can track, display, or transmit information about a product and it can change appearance or provide data based on different conditions.

Future Trends:

Think of the smart packaging as:

• A watchdog (monitors)
• A messenger (informs)
• A protector (preserves)
• A connector (communicates)