SEOUL DESIGN AWARD

RFID Commercial radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags are simple electronic circuits, comprising a microchip for information storage, an antenna enabling communication and a substrate.

These innovative RFID tags aim to reduce electronic waste, helping to minimize environmental impact. They are embedded in products for identification through radio signals. As a result, RFID tags are widely adopted for item tracking and inventory management in commerce, transportation and logistics.

Of the 20 billion RFID tags made in 2019, 12 billion tags were made for the 1.7 trillion dollars fashion industry. Many of these RFID tags embedded in clothing tags are single use and end up in landfills, once the consumer pulls the tag off. This wastes natural resources and energy, while increasing environmental damage, CO2 emissions, pollution and e-waste.

PulpaTronics provides more sustainable RFID tags that eliminate the need for metal mining, simplify manufacturing and streamline recycling. Its technology replaces the metal antenna by laser-inducing a carbon-based conductive material onto paper.

Using a chipless design, the tags store information in the geometric pattern of the conductor instead of a microchip.

The goal is to promote technological advancement while not harming the environment by adding value through removal rather than addition, simplifying overly complex electronic devices.