Avery Dennison is enhancing its NFC inlay portfolio with a flexible integrated circuit (FlexIC) product line, NFC Connect, from Pragmatic Semiconductor.
This first-to-market integration on a mass scale builds on the two companies partnership to deliver secure, smartphone-tap interactions with consumer packaged goods – enhancing digital brand experiences and enabling authentication and compliance initiatives such as Digital Product Passports (DPP).
The Pragmatic NFC Connect PR1301 product line provides low-cost edge and item-level intelligence, supporting mass market implementation of Avery Dennison’s NFC inlays for industries such as retail and healthcare.
NFC Global Impact
According to Mathieu De Backer, VP, Intelligent Labels Innovation, Avery Dennison, NFC technology is a key part of the digital infrastructure for many of their clients across the globe.
“We are ready to mass produce products with Pragmatic NFC Connect, enabling us to further empower clients with reliable connectivity that supports consumer engagement and product authentication initiatives,” stated De Backer.
Sustainability Focus
With the chip being ultra-thin, flexible and robust, its is produced through a sustainable manufacturing process using less chemicals, energy and water, compared to traditional silicon chips.
James Davey, SVP, sales, business development and product management, Pragmatic Semiconductor, noted that Avery Dennison has been a longstanding strategic partner.
“We are proud to support in expanding its NFC inlay portfolio and opening new markets with our sustainable NFC Connect product line,” added Davey. “By seamlessly integrating NFC functionality into products and packaging— even on curved surfaces— brands can deliver smarter, more connected experiences and deeper consumer engagement at scale.”
AD Teams with Sleever for New Smart Packaging
In a separate move, Avery Dennison and Sleever launched Inventra — an intelligent product that integrates RFID technology into the shrink sleeve label, designed to support the sector’s future transformations. The new offering is in response to the rapid evolution of distribution models, rising regulatory requirements, and the growing number of product references in the beauty and makeup market.
Unveiled at Paris Packaging Week, Inventra is touted as packaging being part of a strategic vector for data, traceability, and performance, without compromising the aesthetic or industrial standards of brands, according to company officials.
In the beauty sector, the multiplication of references, the precise management of shades and seasonal collections, as well as the high sensitivity to theft and counterfeiting, place brands and retailers before new operational challenges. Currently, the industry loses approximately 10% of its inventory annually—specifically 6.2% due to overproduction and 4% to spoilage and expiry.*
Focus on Beauty Industry
RFID technology enables item-level identification and offers a more reliable view of inventory, improved on-shelf availability, and a significant reduction in stock discrepancies. For makeup products, these benefits represent a major potential lever for enhancing service, protecting products, and steering performance.
Maryna Grytsenko-Nénon, Business Development Global, RFID Beauty & Personal Care, Avery Dennison, said the beauty industry is currently losing nearly $5 billion annually to supply chain inefficiencies and waste.
“That is a reality brands can no longer afford,” said Grytsenko-Nénon. “Inventra offers the industry a solution by integrating RFID intelligence directly into the sleeve label—delivering 99% inventory accuracy without altering the product’s aesthetic. It is a data-driven solution for a market that demands both beauty and responsibility, in a controlled and scalable way.”
Intelligent Packaging
Inventra is based on integrating RFID technology at the very heart of the sleeve label. This technological choice makes it possible to preserve the visual impact and identity of the design, protect the RFID component from any manipulation, and ensure enhanced tamper-evidence. Officials from both companies said the innovation brings together the key functions of the technology: decoration, information, and traceability.
Leveraging its industrial expertise, Inventrais compatible with production line speeds and with the technical requirements related to materials, complex shapes, and contents. The sleeve is designed with future global requirements in mind regarding traceability, transparency, and circularity — including within the framework of the DPP. The solution aims to ultimately enable item-level digital identification of the product, supporting:
- regulatory compliance initiatives,
- anti-counterfeiting strategies,
- recyclability and circularity tracking projects,
- as well as future uses related to facilitating the purchasing act and product information.
Retail Focus
Inventra is intended to evolve in close collaboration with brands and retailers, said Philippe Morel, Sales & Marketing Director Europe, Sleever. In a context where some major international retail players are beginning to shift their requirements toward increased item-level identification, Sleever and Avery Dennison anticipate a structural movement with the potential to transform industry practices in the long term.
“We are particularly proud of this new product developed jointly with Avery Dennison,” said Morel. “It is the shared result of expertise and market knowledge— especially in beauty— between two innovative players. This product opens new perspectives and brings new functionalities in terms of security, traceability, inventory management, self-check-out, and consumer experience, with all the recognized advantages of sleeve label technology.”