Among the most likely uses for smart packaging, the report said, is condition monitoring and location tracking for packages sent through the logistics chain.
According to IDTechEx, the use of technologies such as printed/flexible batteries and sensors can help reduce costs and bulk, allowing the condition of individual deliveries to be tracked and resulting in greater consumer confidence.
Logistics companies and even insurers can track when and where individual items are being lost, stolen or mistreated, enabling any problems to be dealt with swiftly as well as providing a considerable deterrent effect.
Smart packaging could also be used to improve recycling, the report noted. Modern recycling processes are capable of recycling only about 10 percent of all waste, largely due to difficulties in sorting materials with extremely similar properties or determining the extent of the contamination.
To address these issues, the EU is exploring technology solutions based on smart packaging, which would use a ‘digital watermark’ to identify the product and recycling requirements.