Smartrac Hopes to Release Green RFID Tags Within a Year

Smartrac's goal is to produce tags that comply with all international standards, including ISO 14443, ISO 15693, ISO 18000-6c and EPC Gen 2, though the company says it is too early to promise such an outcome.

The tags are being developed by Smartrac's internal research team, in cooperation with two unnamed universities, including one in Thailand. Rietzler says Smartrac is currently in talks with suppliers in the United States and Japan for materials, though he declines to provide further details regarding the project's partners. The research, he notes, is proceeding smoothly.

"One of the major priorities is that reliability and other factors, like read range and frequency stabilities, are not affected," Rietzler says. "The core of our research will be to make sure the biodegradable transponders work as well as the regular products."

The first fruits of the researchers' efforts could reach the market within a year, though Rietzler says it is too early at this juncture to discuss specific timelines. The new products, he indicates, would be comparable in cost to existing RFID tags.

"The expectation is that there will be no major price difference, and Smartrac's motivation for this is not to produce an expensive product," Rietzler explains. "The motivation is that we want to take a leading role, and might be able to gain a competitive advantage by offering a green range of products."