Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups in the packaging industry. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we decided to share our insights with you. This time, we are taking a look at 5 promising smart packaging solutions.
Heat Map: 5 Top Smart Packaging Startups
For our 5 picks of smart packaging startups, we used a data-driven startup scouting approach to identify relevant solutions globally. The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 5 interesting examples out of 850 relevant solutions. Depending on your specific needs, your top picks might look entirely different.
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Maka RFID – Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)
RFID-enabled tags give every item a unique digital identifier, increase accuracy, save time and money, boost sales, and reduce waste. Together with analytics algorithms, the technology visualizes items on a map in real-time, which allows to eliminate misplaced inventory and manage conditions of the items. Chinese startup Maka RFID offers RFID smart label technology for fresh chilled, frozen and other time-sensitive food products. The labels reduce spoilage and associated losses throughout the food supply chain by identifying freshness issues in the process of transportation.
Viveat – Near-Field Communication (NFC)
NFC technology increases customer interaction and satisfaction while simultaneously providing valuable data about the consumer and product viability. It helps companies guarantee a high level of quality control and spoilage prevention, smarter and easier inventory tracking, anti-counterfeit and tamper measures. Milan-based Viveat develops a software platform linked to every product equipped with a Viveat NFC label. The univocal ID code identifies a product with secure and relevant information about it, provides care-guides, manuals, expiry date, and other useful information.
ScanTrust – QR Codes
Among other technologies, QR codes are still in demand and relevant to the market. They provide detailed product information to buyers, help differentiate a product from other similar competing products, explain the benefits of it, show product range. QR-codes serve a more practical, functional purpose by improving industry transparency and expanding manufacturer-consumer communication beyond the information that can fit on a product label’s limited area. Swiss startup ScanTrust helps brand owners protect against counterfeit, monitor unit-level traceability of products, and drive end-user engagement by combining patent-protected, secure unique identifiers (QR & 2D barcodes) and business intelligence software for supply chain data.
Is it fresh – Printed Electronics
Printed electronics enable low-cost embedding of electronic functions in food packaging, making it possible to sense qualities like temperature and pH, which are important for food conservation. Sensors printed on the package determine the conservation quality of the food inside. It makes the use of a predetermined expiration date obsolete and helps to avoid wasting an enormous amount of food that is safe and good to eat. Germany-based Is it fresh digitalizes food packaging and introduces freshness monitoring into every single package using advanced printed electronics technologies and functional nanomaterials.
Speech Code – Barrier-Free Packaging / Audible Packaging
For people with special needs, simple routines such as food shopping or using public transportation can be challenging. Special codes embedded in packaging increase the independence of this group of people in daily life activities. Austrian startup Speech Code develops a cost-effective, safe and always available tool that improves information access – barrier-free for all. Their sound-based packaging solution helps blind, illiterate and other clients to receive all needed instructions with simple scanning of a special code image.
What About The Other 845 Smart Packaging Solutions?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence for your Proof of Concept (PoC), partnership, or investment targets. The 5 smart packaging startups showcased above are promising examples out of 850 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria and collaboration strategy, get in touch.
