It has all the characteristics to become the label for packaging of the future: it’s communicative, i.e. it relates a series of useful information onto a display. It’s sustainable, made entirely with recyclable materials: all of the electronic components are plastic or easily detachable from the plastic and all the electronic materials in the components are characterized by a low melting temperature which allows for the metal or metal oxides to be recycled through filtering. What’s more, the display powers itself with solar energy. And lastly, it’s economically sustainable.
It is called the “Etichetta Dinamica” (Dynamic Label), and has been patented by IIT, the Italian Institute of Technology and PoliMi – the Polytechnic University of Milan. It can be printed or incorporated into paper or plastic packaging.
The label is equipped with a photovoltaic energy source which automatically powers a control unit (an organic thin film transistor with low voltage supply) and a display screen (created in the form of a layer of an electrochromic screen). The control unit can send the desired messages to the display.
Lastly, the label is compatible with current production processes of packaging, adding a negligible cost.
, patented by IIT and Polimi, the Polytechnic University of Milan, is communicative, sustainable and economic:){kind=link}