TECHNOLOGY | ANTICOUNTERFEITING
IMAGE: FRAUNHOFER INSTITUTE
The reciChain program created by BASF and first demonstrated in 2020 with a proof-of-concept pilot in British Columbia, Canada, was expanded to Alberta, Canada in 2022. The concept uses a physical tracer that is compounded into the polymer so that it can be identified and tracked throughout the value chain. In combination with blockchain technology, the system translates the physical tracer into a digital twin to provide auditable “transfer of ownership”. The purpose of reciChain is to enable circularity for plastics by improving tracking and sorting of recycled materials. Blockchain technology’s capacity for auditing will support extended producer responsibility programs and provide a way to assign incentives to participants who will be able to earn digital credits.
Above: Fraunhofer’s SmartID system uses barcodes that capture unique surface characteristics
Scratching the surface of product security
Taggants and tracers may not be the only options for providing product security — a number of programmes are underway that aim to use surface features as authentication tools. Three of Fraunhofer Institute’s core technical units — Applied
Polymer Research IAP, Secure Information Technology SIT and Open Communication Systems — are developing a labeling system that aims to uniquely verify and authenticate products using a tamper-proof barcode and a smartphone app. The SmartID system takes advantage of the fact that every part has a unique characteristic surface texture, which it likens to a fingerprint. The system converts this information to a barcode, which is then compared against surface data captured using the authentication app and a standard smartphone. The system does not use databases or blockchain. Meanwhile, Bosch is working on a similar smartphone-based solution that promises highly secure, invisible product tracing and instant verification. The company says its Origify Product Authenti- cation uses a “fingerprint technology to optically capture the natural surface of a product.” The idea is that the brand owner or manufacturer registers the surface ‘fingerprint’ in a predefined region of each product during production and stores it in the Bosch cloud. The Origify app then guides the stakeholder through the authenticate authentication process, the company says. Polymer applications are hugely varied and could include housings for automotive steering control units, frames for sun- glasses, tinted plastic lenses for eyeglasses, plastic sports shoe soles, and many others, according to Bosch. �
https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/en/projects/smartid.html �
https://www.bosch-origify.com/
34 COMPOUNDING WORLD | December 2023
Physical limitations Netherlands-based Circularise provides supply chain traceability software using blockchain for digital product passports. The company, which was established in 2016, has been working with partners in various industries that use plastics. It says it has found that in some cases physical tracers provide a benefit for supply chain traceability, but in other cases face limitations. Circularise founder Mesbah Sabur says that physical tracers embedded in plastics, combined with blockchain technology that provides a decentralised digital ledger, creates “an immutable record” of the product’s life cycle. “When physical tracers are integrated with blockchain, it ensures that every single change in the product’s status is recorded, he explains. Sabur suggests, however, that scalability issues and cost can limit the use of physical tracers for product passport purposes. “While physical tracers can provide perfect traceability, they can pose scalability issues. In large-scale operations, manag- ing numerous tracers can become a daunting task, increasing the risk of errors and inconsistencies. This can limit the effectiveness of the traceability system, especially when dealing with high product volumes,” he says.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
https://stardustsecured.com/ �
www.grafe.com �
www.polysecure.eu �
www.eluceda.com �
www.avient.com �
https://reconsquared.com/ (Recon2) �
www.basf.com �
www.circularise.com
www.compoundingworld.com
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