The Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the Milan Polytechnic (PoliMi) have developed a fully recyclable and economically sustainable label.
The so-called Dynamic Label ('Etichetta Dinamica') is intended for dynamic packaging, i.e. capable of providing the display of information, depending on marketing needs. It is printed and/or integrated on the paper or plastic packaging, and is fully recyclable and economically sustainable.
The label is made of entirely recoverable materials. All electronic components are plastic (or readily separable from the plastic) and all electronic materials of the components are characterised by a low melting temperature that enables the recovery of metals or metal oxides by means of filtering.
It comes with a photovoltaic energy source that auto-feeds a control module (organic thin film transistors at a low-supply voltage) and a display (in the form of a layer of electro-chromic material). The control module is designed to send desired messages to the display.
The label is compatible with the current production processes of packaging, adding a negligible cost.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic.