PulpaTronics

What it does

PulpaTronics develops more sustainable radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that eliminate metal mining, simplify manufacturing and minimise environmental impact. The paper-only tags are recyclable and cut costs in half making RFID tags more accessible.

Your inspiration

Of the 20B RFID tags made in 2019, 12B were made for the $1.7T fashion industry. Many of these RFID tags found in clothing tags are single use and end up in landfills, once pulled off. This wastes natural resources and energy, while increasing environmental damage, CO2 emissions and e-waste. At PulpaTronics, we embrace the idea of substraction: creating value by removing rather than adding. We wanted to leverage what existed in nature, rather than to impose more human strain to it. Upon discovering the impacts of single-use electronics, we landed on metal-free RFID tags. Our goal is to push technology forward by minimising resource depletion.

How it works

Commercial RFID tags are electronic circuits, comprising a microchip (silicon) for information storage, an antenna (aluminium) for communication and a substrate (plastic). They are embedded in products for identification through radio signals, and are widely adopted for item tracking and inventory management within commerce, transportation and logistics. PulpaTronics provides more sustainable RFID tags.The novel technology replaces the metal antenna by laser-inducing a carbon-based conductive material onto paper. Using a chipless design, our tags store information in the geometric pattern of the conductor instead of a microchip.PulpaTronics’ technology reduces annual CO2 emissions by 70%. By using paper only, the tags can be recycled 6-7 times before being composted for minimal overall CO2 emissions. By reducing transportation, material and energy expenses, the tags cut costs in half. This offers an appealing alternative for businesses currently using barcodes.

Design process

PulpaTronics develops a more sustainable inventory management system using recyclable RFID tags. The technology comprises a special paper substrate, a laser technology, a chipless antenna design and a chipless RFID reader device. The paper substrate was optimised at Imperial College London in 2022. It is a recycled paper material with a chemical composition and microstructure optimised for the application. Through Sting Bioeconomy’s incubator programme we are currently further developing our substrate recipe and building connections with industrial suppliers. The laser technology allows us to convert the chemical composition of the paper into a carbon-based conductive material. The technology was first optimised for the application in 2022 at Imperial College London. The chipless RFID tags were first validated at Imperial College London in 2022. They were then further improved as part of the GFIL FFF programme at Cranfield University. The tags are currently being developed for in-store testing as part of Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living grant. Finally, as the chipless RFID tags operate based on a different principle than UHF RFID tags, they require their own type of readers. We are currently building these readers in collaboration with Engineering Lab for initial trials by Q4 2024.

How it is different

Current efforts into reducing the environmental impact of RFID tags are limited to replacing some components with recycled or recyclable materials, or reducing the number of layers from 7 to 4-5. Overall, current “sustainable” RFID tags offer limited ESG credentials, and no RFID manufacturers are developing chipless, metal-free or paper-only RFID tags. PulpaTronics’ technology requires fewer materials and production steps, making this advanced technology more affordable and accessible. The simple integration into existing production lines can also boost local manufacturing. By not having to rely on a global supply chain, the solution reduces transport-related emissions and risks. PulpaTronics’ innovation enables customers to confidently throw RFID tags away by indicating their recyclability with a symbol. This also allows retailers to more transparently market their environmental impact reduction efforts, and might trigger a change in product labelling policy.

Future plans

As product traceability continues to gain momentum, we see our sustainable RFID tags as the vehicle to enable item-level tracking. Once our two pending patents get approved, we also look to licence out our technology so that we can integrate our laser heads directly into the production line, streamlining manufacturing even more to scale up quickly. Our technology also works with other plant-based materials like cotton, cork, wood and bio-plastics, so we aim to innovate with more materials to accelerate traceability across more industries. Our vision is to help businesses save more, increase tracking and preserve more of our world's resources.

Awards

Venture Catalyst Challenge Winner; International Design Excellence Awards Silver; Red Dot; Radical Innovation Award Winner; Dezeen Award Winner; IET Excellence & Innovation Awards 3 wins; International Design Awards Gold; European Product Design Award Winner; Green Alley Award Winner; Mayor’s Entrepreneur Competition Winner