The Art of Smart - Avery Dennison - Fasson

the growing demand for smart labelling
“An excellent example is the Food Freshness Indicator ( FFI )
which can indicate if bacteria are present in certain foods,
which has real implications for ensuring compliance to fresh
food standards, equipping the consumer with a real tool to
guarantee the freshness of their purchases. For true
innovation though, you need only look at the latest
development to move from R&D to reality. A label that actually
extends product freshness, as described by Noel. “It is
already available in the clamshell packaging of raspberries.
The label is on the inside of the pack, and emits tiny
amounts of an antibacterial agent, such as chlorine dioxide,
into the atmosphere of the pack. It significantly reduces the
growth of mould, extending the shelf-life of raspberries in
the retail store from 5 up to 10 days.”
Other current developments include nanotechnology. This
new technology is set to have significant impact on the
industry. Noel describes one example. “Current research is
focusing on a technology that dramatically increases the
oxygen barrier in an incredibly thin construction. It performs
as well as aluminium film, but since it is transparent, it will
enable entirely new possibilities in packaging design –
allowing consumers to see the product inside the packaging
for the first time. Today however it is RFID that is emerging
as one of the key growth drivers of the smart labelling
market, and Avery Dennison has created a new RFID Division
to support you in bringing this technology to your
customers. You can read more on this news on page 12, and
on page 6 you can find out how the Metro Group is already
using the technology to improve its logistics processes.
Looking to the future of labelling
Sjaak Elmendorp is Vice President of Product Technology
and Innovation, and his vision of the future for the industry
is a bright and creative one. “The need for functional labels
has been around for many years. It has only been relatively
recently that the technology has caught up with the need,
becoming viable to cost-effectively produce in large volumes.
Now that the technology is available, we are working closely
with the commercial sector to identify applications to benefit
end-user markets. Expect to see dramatic and positive
changes to our industry in the coming years.”
For more information contact the Director of Business
Development: noel.mitchell@eu.averydennison.com
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