Insights | Avery Dennison

Pairing the new with the established for sustainable innovation

March 2024

They say the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. While that generally rings true, the whole becomes all the more greater when the contributing parts consistently complement each other. If the modern startup is the speedboat, then the long established enterprise is surely the juggernaut. Put them together and you get the perfect fusion of agility, nimbleness, resource and industry standing. But just like creating award-worthy art or cuisine, the right conditions must be in place.

Combating shrink with RFID

March 2024

Retailers are all too familiar with the issue of shrinkage. According to a recent report from the National Retail Federation, shrinkage at retailers across the US increased to $112 billion in the most recent reporting year. Industry leaders who hope to avoid reactive, last-resort actions are searching for strategic loss-prevention solutions.

The end of waste is in sight with digital technology

March 2024

How we apply technologies can accelerate tomorrow’s circular business models. Imagine if every item produced had a sensor providing real-time, accurate data on environmental metrics; a live tracking energy or emissions label for every unit of production, through its entire life cycle. As industries and regulators work towards new standards for industries, they will need to rely on numerous data points across the supply chain to quantify and certify performance and compliance.

The future is Connected Textiles

March 2024

The fashion world is constantly reinventing how tomorrow will look. With Connected Textiles, leading brands and retailers are being inspired by technology to rethink their future operations, enrich the consumer experience, and make the life of garments circular.

How Avery Dennison and Amazon’s innovative collaboration is changing the retail game

February 2024

After another impactful NRF 2024 Big Show, our Bill Toney reflects on the role our collaboration with Just Walk Out technology by Amazon has the on customer experience, asset protection, labor optimization and more.

Digital identification and the Circular Economy Action Plan: Paving the way for a sustainable future

February 2024

The urgency for companies to transform to sustainable business models will be heightened by forthcoming actions and legislation in the European Union.

The European Commission adopted the Circular Economy Action Plan as one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal, Europe’s agenda for sustainable growth. The EU’s transition to a circular economy will reduce pressure on natural resources and support its aim to achieve its 2050 climate neutrality target and halt biodiversity loss.

Checkout-free apparel shopping: New applications of Just Walk Out technology

January 2024

No one likes waiting in lines. Shoppers want the flexibility to quickly enter a store, pick up what they want, and go on their way. Just Walk Out technology by Amazon continues to innovate shopping by delivering frictionless experiences with RFID technology, supported by Avery Dennison. Join Jon Jenkins, Vice President of Just Walk Out technology by Amazon, and Bill Toney, Vice President, Global RFID Market Development, Retail, at Avery Dennison for a lively and engaging discussion about how Just Walk Out technology for apparel delivers shopper convenience and operational efficiencies.

RFID: The Key to Digitizing Loss Prevention

January 2024

There’s a lot more to RFID sensors than just inventory management. RFID tags and labels can be found on a wide range of consumer products due to proven success across enterprise use cases like loss prevention. Digitizing loss prevention gives retailers more insights & data to deter theft and take a proactive approach to combating the growing challenge of retail crime. In this engaging session we’ll take a deep dive into Macy’s journey, exploring how RFID sensor technology is being used to unlock the challenge of loss prevention and detection.

Digital identification: Follow the carbon

January 2024

In the modern business landscape, we've prioritized the need to "follow the money." Sophisticated financial systems track every cent, ensuring transparency, accountability, and efficiency. But as the urgency of the climate crisis intensifies, and businesses start designing tomorrow’s circular models, there's a new imperative: "following the carbon." How can businesses measure, track, and ultimately reduce their environmental footprint with the same precision and security they apply to their finances?

Accelerating textile recycling with digital IDs

January 2024

Every year, Europe generates around seven million tonnes of textile waste. Only around 35% of this waste is separately collected and less than 1% recycled into new material. In response, the European Union is rolling up its sleeves and preparing legislation for a drastic overhaul. The vision is to curb overproduction and overconsumption of textiles, discourage the unnecessary destruction of unsold or returned goods, and limit the export of textile waste.

Why is digital product identification critical to tomorrow’s circular industries?

January 2024

Are you really going to be net zero by 2030? It is the responsibility of business leaders to reduce their carbon footprint and enable the entire supply chain to be more sustainable. As a result, many have set their sights on circularity, envisioning a future where renewable raw materials feed the production cycle, waste is eradicated, and their entire operation is carbon neutral.

Avery Dennison and circular.fashion bring Digital Product Passports to life as members of CIRPASS-2 consortium

January 2024

Avery Dennison has reaffirmed its position as a driving force helping brands get ready for the incoming implementation of Digital Product Passport (DPP), having been announced among lighthouse pilot initiatives in partnership with circular.fashion under the CIRPASS-2 consortium.

Stop the $100 billion loss: Meet the solution hiding in plain sight

November 2023

You’ve likely seen the headlines reporting major retailers “closing stores” in neighborhoods where theft and organized retail crime (ORC) is out of control. ‘Shrinkage’, which has traditionally been regarded as the cost of doing business, is escalating into a profit crushing issue. In 2023 research revealed the average North American retailer is losing 1.6% of inventory to shrink, with internal and external theft accounting for 65%.

The reinvention economy: from old to new to connected

November 2023

They say everything old is new again. While that may generally ring true, it’s no longer the entire story. New must now be connected. Take the humble milk float, a cautiously paced battery electric vehicle and firm fixture of early morning life for millions of people before being ushered into relative dormancy by the one-stop-shop appeal of supermarket giants.

Is fresh produce inventory management past its expiry date?

August 2023

Fresh produce is the crown jewel for food retailers. If they can draw customers to their store to find their favorite fresh ingredients, there is much more probability they will leave with a lot more in their basket. However they also know there is a cost: huge and often untraceable inventory loss.

Technologies are giving smart grocery retailer the advantage

August 2023

In the past decade, discounters and tech innovators have disrupted the food industry, reshaping its landscape and forcing the large traditional grocers to rethink their business. How are technologies enabling food retailers to maintain the competitive edge?

Meet the new Retail Reality with RFID Solutions

August 2023

In today’s omnichannel world, from apparel and housewares to electronic and sporting goods, retailers often struggle to maintain accurate inventory levels. For many of them, the solution is RFID. Together with Zebra Technologies, we are enabling solutions that provide the item-level visibility retailers need.

The Real Cost of Supply Chain Waste in the Beauty Industry

July 2023

Greener habits and ever-evolving consumer demands are requiring beauty and personal care brands to provide full supply chain transparency. Better supply chain visibility enables flexibility and agility to fulfill demand and adapt to market fluctuations. It also reduces overproduction, waste and enables circularity. According to our latest report, $4.8bn worth of beauty inventory is discarded globally every year before it reaches the consumer due to expiry or overproduction.

The Real Cost of Supply Chain Waste in the Food Industry

July 2023

86% of people worldwide say they want a more ethical and sustainable world. Consumers are becoming wise to the dangers of low-cost and high-volume production. According to our latest report, 10% of food is discarded before it reaches the consumer due to damage or overproduction in the supply chain. This is equivalent to $15bn lost in inventory value yearly.

What we all expect to know about our food

July 2023

Consumers expect what they are looking for in a store to be available, and to be fully informed. Furthermore, many believe they are entitled to more information, more access, and more responsiveness on food availability, traceability, safety, and sustainability.

The food industry is losing $155 billion annually due to food waste. Furthermore, 33% of consumers are willing to switch brands for the sake of transparency, and 73% are willing to pay a premium for products offering complete transparency in their packaging.

What's holding grocers back?

July 2023

Here’s a controversial thought. In the highly competitive landscape of the grocery industry, the path to a future of operational excellence, healthy profits, and growth starts with a return to the basics.

Before grocers can aspire to visionary thinking and exploring innovative ideas, they must first address the fundamental challenges that hinder their day-to-day operations. Without a solid operational foundation, grocers find themselves in a constant state of firefighting, grappling with issues that consume their resources. This limits their capacity to innovate and grow.

Tour de France double champion races with Avery Dennison NFC technology

July 2023

When double winner Tadej Pogačar competes in the Tour de France this summer those with eagle eyes might spot something new in his DMT Pogi cycling shoes. The elite cyclist is the first to carry his ‘in case of emergency’ (ICE) details on a contactless Avery Dennison NFC (near field communication) tag within his footwear.

Helping create standards-based DPP prototypes and an implementation blueprint - Avery Dennison’s involvement with CIRPASS

May 2023

In conversation with Avery Dennison’s representative and project lead at CIRPASS, Kamila Kocia provides her perspective on our involvement as an Associate Partner, what it means for our customers, and how they can benefit from it.

Beyond the shelves: the true value of inventory accuracy for retailers

May 2023

It is true that stock visibility has long been a challenge in retail. According to a recent study conducted by Manhattan, only 6% of retailers surveyed stated they had an accurate overview of their inventory throughout their entire supply chain 100% of the time. Whether you are omnichannel or not, a lack of inventory visibility will have a big impact on your bottom line.

Spotlight on the French market

March 2023

Waste, overproduction and sustainability are key issues for companies and consumers around the world. According to our latest report, in France, 4.1% of stock is wasted each year due to product deterioration or damage and a further 3.5% is thrown away due to overproduction.

Avery Dennison drives new data solutions with digital IDs through SAP software

March 2023

In conversation with Avery Dennison’s Vice President of Strategy and Innovation, Jeremy Schenof sits down to give his insights into our OEM agreement with SAP. He dives into how we are utilizing SAP Analytics Cloud to drive improved data solutions through digital IDs for our collective customers.

NRF Big Show 2023 - panelists discussion

Driving retail business transformation through customer-oriented culture and RFID

January 2023

Listen to this compelling panel discussion held at NRF Big Show in January 2023. Panelists Bill Toney, VP Global Market Development and PMO at Avery Dennison, Takahiro Tambara, CIO at Fast Retailing, Ray Marciano, Managing Director and Global Retail Growth and Commerce Lead, at Accenture and moderator Dr. Bill Hardgrave, President of Memphis University discuss how businesses are transformed through customer-oriented culture and RFID.

Five ways QSRs can use RFID solutions to meet today’s challenges

October 2022

One of the key areas that many QSR’s are looking at to become more efficient and resilient to ongoing challenges is inventory visibility. The five benefits listed in this article illustrate how investments in digital IDs and RFID technology can boost a QSR’s operational efficiency and improve bottom line results.

Digital transformation to prevent food waste

June 2022

Food waste has become an enormous challenge across the global grocery, restaurant and consumer landscape. This report in partnership with Coresight aims to raise awareness while exploring the scope of the issue for food retailers in North America. Read how technology can be used to manage and reduce food waste to benefit retailers and the environment.

Avery Dennison’s Bluetooth RTI solution winner of the 2022 Supply Chain, Logistics and Distribution Pharmapack award

May 2022

The jury of the 2022 Pharmapack awards has decided to recognize Avery Dennison for the best solution in the ‘Supply Chain, Logistics & Distribution’ category!

A supply chain revolution in food retail

Chipotle deploys RFID for traceability and food safety

April 2022

In the food and restaurant sector food safety along with better supply chain and inventory management becomes ever more critical. To address these market needs, Avery Dennison is leading a number of initiatives to drive digital transformation in this field. One recent example is Chipotle in the US, using serialized RFID case labels to transform inventory management into an automatic, digital function.

A supply chain revolution in food retail

April 2022

ReFED estimates 35 percent (28 million tons) of wasted food in the US is lost earlier in the supply chain, either on farms or while in production. It doesn’t have to be this way. One prominent retailer, with 300 grocery stores, has taken an unprecedented step. It has adopted smart, connected reusable transport items (RTIs) to help shine a light into the darkest corners of its food supply chain.

New anti-waste law in the European Union - why it’s an opportunity rather than a threat for the food industry

December 2021

Recent anti-waste regulations in the European Union and particularly in France aim to encourage businesses such as grocery retail and quick-service restaurants to eliminate waste and adopt more circular practices. Hear more about what role technology will have to play in helping businesses adapt to the changes which are also fast becoming the norm across the world.

How the digital edge is shifting to item level: RFID sensors transforming omnichannel retail

December 2021

Today’s retail organizations need to learn to adapt in a world in which supply chains are constrained or disrupted, and end customers are the ones who decide which channels they prefer for ordering and taking delivery of goods. Read in this CIO.com feature why now is a good time for retail enterprises to invest in digital ID technologies and how cloud-based order management and inventory applications provide bottom-line benefits.

atma.io higg business reporter clear line of sight

A clear line of sight - why atma.io and Higg take the lead on supply chain sustainability

November 2021

The recent COP26 summit in Glasgow brought the full focus of the world’s media on the topic of climate change, and the need for all of us to operate in a more sustainable manner. Learn how atma.io, in collaboration with technology platform Higg, lead the way in giving brands and retailers a complete view of their supply chain and an opportunity to provide accurate sustainability data to consumers and other key stakeholders.

Beauty going greener: Tackling hidden inventory issues

October 2021

It’s no secret that sustainability has become paramount for beauty and personal care brands and retailers and, most importantly for their customers. Often the conversation centers on the impacts of beauty packaging and the “3R’s” — reduce, recycle, reuse — and rightly so. The sourcing, production and distribution of the products themselves also consume enormous amounts of natural resources and energy . Learn more about how digital IDs can help alleviate many of these issues and boost sustainability goals.

Dispelling five myths about food waste in grocery

September 2021

Did you know that much of the discarded food in the US comes from the grocery sector, with more than 30% of food going into landfills? On a global basis, $1 trillion worth of food is lost or wasted annually. New waves of legislation and realization grocers that managing waste is also good for businesses are all driving forward a zero-waste future.

Hear more from Deborah Weinswig, Founder of Coresight Research, and Julie Vargas Vice President. Commercial, Avery Dennison dispels 5 myths surrounding food waste in grocery through both financial and economic terms.

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Enabling Fast Group full supply chain visibility with RFID

September 2021

Fast Group is the first Chinese automotive company to exceed 1.5 billion USD in annual sales. As their business has expanded the requirements for inventory accuracy, speed and transparency have become paramount to their success. Therefore, the auto gear enterprise was looking for a reliable and convenient factory solution for wireless data capture.

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Will regulation be a tipping point for sustainable supply chains?

September 2021

The supply chain is increasingly considered to be one of the most impactful components of a company’s sustainability efforts. According to UN Global 50% of companies globally say that supply chain sustainability has grown in importance since the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumer, investor and shareholder pressure is mounting and so too is regulatory pressure. Learn how digital ID technologies can help to cope with the increasing challenges.

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Leveraging connected product platforms to power sustainability and circularity

September 2021

This article by David Quass and Max Winograd highlights how effective connected product platforms are creating a granular view of the supply chain, providing item-level visibility and transparency, facilitating sustainability goals and enabling circularity.

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Etam Group turns to RFID to offer best-in-class consumer experience and boost its sustainability objectives

September 2021

Today, consumers are discovering brands in new ways, and seeking convenience, transparency, and new experiences to guide their shopping decisions. Read how the #1 lingerie brand in France has adopted digital ID technologies to drive omnichannel innovation and transparency.

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What’s next for food omnichannel?

August 2021

With the widespread adoption of omnichannel grocery shopping, retailers are looking at technology solutions to overcome the challenges of online grocery fulfillment. RFID is a technology that is providing solutions to meet the challenges of today.

We partnered with GroceryDive to take a deep dive on the key trends and challenges retailers are facing today and the key role of RFID to omnichannel success.

Read the report

A digital supply chain makeover for a global prestige beauty brand

June 2021

The events that transformed the world in 2020 are also transforming the relationship between beauty brands, retailers and consumers. Bridging the gap between physical retail and e-commerce is no longer an option, it’s a core requirement for the survival of the beauty industry. Read how digital identities help transform legacy beauty stores into shopping experiences and fulfilment centers of the future.

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The control of disease starts with inventory management

June 2021

Controlling hospital inventory is critical to ensure that patients can be treated in the best possible way. If the right products aren’t available where and when they are needed, it can lead to cancelled surgeries, delayed treatments and wasted time and resources. Fortune-500 company Medline launched an RFID-based stock monitoring solution to improve inventory accuracy, efficiency and ensure better patient care.

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Researchers at the Max Planck Institute decipher further riddles of evolution thanks to RFID

June 2021

Avery Dennison Smartrac’s Glass Tag Animal ID, originally designed for pet, livestock and fish identification, is one of the smallest transponders in the world. Researchers from Germany’s Max Planck Institute have used this grain-of-rice sized RFID transponder to pave the way for a remote birdwatch solution helping to better understand social behavior and strategies for reproductive success.

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One of the world's leading family-owned fine wine companies brings-to-life the JCB Collection through the power of NFC technology

June 2021

Read how a tap of any modern smartphone to a ‘JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset’ wine bottle confirms authenticity and provides unpreceded access to the wine’s personality, creator, origins, quality, rankings, and a personalized journey into the JCB Collection.

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CITY Furniture slashes inventory count time from several weeks to just two hours with Avery Dennison Smartrac’s Midas Flagtag®

June 2021

Florida furniture retailer CITY Furniture has used the pandemic shutdown wisely, emerging with an updated RFID system that is automating the weekly inventory count and providing it with unparalleled visibility for up to 17,000 items held at each of its 33 showrooms.

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How RFID changes the sake supply chain - Dassai taps into intelligent labeling technology

June 2021

Over the past few years the Japanese sake industry was facing market shrink with decline in consumption, and distribution through unregulated retail channels. The breweries were looking for new ways to differentiate and to communicate their brand stories and product values. Read how Dassai, the leading sake brand in Japan, established a way of improving customer experience and transforming its operations by utilizing digital technology.

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How is food traceability influencing the buying decisions of consumers?

April 2021

Avery Dennison teamed up with LSA, the leading retail magazine in France, to find out more about food-buying habits, and which factors influence their purchase choice. In this infographic, we highlight the key findings of the report.

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Without RFID, retailers struggled to deliver

March 2021

While retailers are still evaluating their 2020 performance, early research suggests that those companies that did not invest in radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to manage their inventory struggled to ship from store, and to execute curbside or in-store pickup consistently.

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How RFID accelerates Industry 4.0 in the automotive industry

March 2021

RFID integration not only streamlines car manufacturers’ processes, but also creates transparent integration with parts suppliers – and enables all the potential benefits of the digital transformation offered by Industry 4.0. Despite all of the clear benefits however, RFID can still be confusing at a technical, deployment level. How exactly does it work in a global manufacturing context?

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Auburn University uses unique digital IDs to help tackle COVID-19

March 2021

Auburn University, located in Alabama USA, is known worldwide for its RFID Lab that measures and certifies the performance and quality of RFID products and manufacturers. This year, to help contain the spread of COVID-19 infections, it is using RFID-enabled football field access passes to monitor entries during home football games.

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Enhancing food products’ traceability from farm to fork

March 2021

How important is food traceability to consumers? According to a recent survey of French food buyers, provided by retail magazine LSA in collaboration with Avery Dennison Smartrac, it’s influencing buying decisions more and more – and unique digital ID solutions have an increasing role to play.

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Enhancing the value of NFC through secured, end-to-end brand protection solutions

March 2021

Avery Dennison Smartrac extended its market-leading Circus Pro family of NFC products by launching new inlays featuring the high-performance Web Authentication em|linq chip. Customers will benefit from secure product authentication that protects against cloning and counterfeiting, unlocking new capabilities for engaging and captivating consumers.

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Why atma.io is a game changer for introducing transparency into supply chains

March 2021

This month we globally launched atma.io connected product cloud, a platform that bridges billions of physical objects and the digital world, connecting the dots so that consumers and brands can trace an item back to its raw materials to enable true circularity. atma.io completely redefines how supply chains operate and how global organizations in all industries can achieve their sustainability and transparency goals at scale.

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Avery Dennison listed by ReFED as a solution provider as part of their Roadmap to 2030: Reducing U.S. Food Waste by 50%

March 2021

We’re proud to be listed as a solution provider as part of the ReFED Insights Engine and Roadmap to 2030. We strongly believe digital ID technologies have the power to positively impact and make 50% food waste reduction a reality. ReFED studied each stage of the supply chain from producers to consumers and identified seven key action areas for focusing the food system’s efforts to prevent waste.

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Smart pharma packaging to revolutionize patient safety and experience

December 2020

Together with Schreiner MediPharm and PragmatIC Semiconductor, Avery Dennison is leveraging NFC technology to extend smart packaging to the unit-level for everyday pharma in order to significantly improve patient safety and experiences.

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American Nuts embraces cutting-edge RFID ERC solution to control inventory, operations and profitability

December 2020

Americans love nuts, and American Nuts, LLC, one of the largest nut processors in North America, loves high-quality products as much as positive business results. A newly released RFID enabled ERC (Enterprise Resource Control) System from Senitron and Avery Dennison contributes substantially to both.

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How RFID enables autonomous robot-based inventory management at a sporting goods retailer

December 2020

Simbe Robotics and Decathlon USA partnered to bring Simbe’s Tally robots to the French sporting goods retailer. Tally’s vision is powered by Avery Dennison’s UHF RFID technology, allowing the robot to capture and analyze soft-tagged inventory items throughout the store. Join us to experience “retail nirvana” at Avery Dennison’s RFID Lab in Miamisburg, Ohio.

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Success story, continued: Levi's to equip 3,000 stores with RFID technology by Avery Dennison

December 2020

Levi Strauss & Co. is not only one of the world's largest brand-name apparel companies and a global leader in jeanswear, It’s also a dedicated user of RFID technology and a long-time customer of Avery Dennison. Now, the joint success story enters a new stage that exemplifies RFID’s role in the future of apparel retail.

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“A Portrait of a Supply Chain” – why transparency matters to us all

December 2020

In this blog Francisco Melo, Vice President and General Manager, Avery Dennison Intelligent Labels, discusses the importance of transparency and traceability in supply chains as showcased in our latest film: “A Portrait of a Supply Chain”. The film explores how digital ID technologies have the potential to create more sustainable supply chains and help empower the people along the journey – from source to sale and beyond.

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“Retail 2020: The year of transformation” – a report by Ragtrader

October 2020

With COVID-19 shopping habits have changed globally. Consumers shop online more than ever before and companies have had to strategically diversify their approach to satisfy the new demand. The latest report by Ragtrader, powered by Avery Dennison, gives insights into the ways Australia's retailers are using digital ID and technology to stay ahead of the curve.

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Taking spare parts logistics to 99.8 percent perfection

September 2020

Scania is a world-leading provider of transport solutions in more than 100 countries. To keep its customers’ heavy lorries and buses running with minimal downtime, Scania relies on an RFID-based real-time tracking system at its global logistics center in Oudsbergen, Belgium.

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Best of both worlds: RFID and EAS in one retail-optimized inlay

September 2020

While RAIN RFID (UHF) is a key enabler for supply chain and store inventory management, existing EAS systems (electronic article surveillance) do a good job in theft prevention: That is why Avery Dennison now offers dual-technology AD-362r6-P inlays for retailers that want to leverage RFID’s capabilities and have RF EAS gate readers installed at the exit points of their stores.

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Neste showcases the future of Shopping – with a little help from Avery Dennison and Nordic ID

September 2020

In Helsinki, Finland, consumers can catch a glimpse of the future of frictionless shopping. In its recently opened Easy Deli stores, Finnish company Neste offers a fundamentally new shopping experience that combines RFID technology and Nordic ID’s latest self-checkout software.

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Enjoy your meal – and a new era of smarter food safety!

September 2020

No, Avery Dennison hasn’t entered the catering industry. Julie Vargas, director, Global RFID Market Development, Food, at Avery Dennison, is simply so delighted about a recent publication by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) that she wants you to share her excitement, and to understand why “smarter food” is a benefit to everybody.

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Why the FDA’s ‘new era of food safety blueprint’ is the food industry’s road map to the future

August 2020

Food safety is a priority for the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the efforts to develop a comprehensive plan, the FDA invited several food industry leaders to provide their expert insights, and Avery Dennison was one of the tech companies present. Find out more in our latest article and what the FDA Blueprint means for the future of the food industry.

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When it comes to touchless shopping, no single technology does it all

July 2020

Spurred on by Amazon and other convenience-oriented brands employing breakthrough technology, the grocery industry was already moving toward a digital transformation aimed at making shopping for food faster, easier, and more fun. As early as January 2019, 73% of consumers said they were in favor of self-service technologies to improve the shopping experience and reduce human interaction, according to SOTI’s Annual Connected Retailer Survey.

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Why touchless technologies add a touch of strength to healthcare

July 2020

COVID-19 is highlighting the importance of a reliable and high-performing healthcare system. Whether it’s tools, pharmaceuticals, or personal protective equipment (PPE), having sufficient, reliable and safe supplies is truly vital for staff and patients alike, even more so during these challenging times. RFID enables the visibility of every tagged item in the healthcare and pharmaceutical supply chain, virtually anytime and anywhere.

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Enabling safer supply chains with touchless technologies

June 2020

COVID-19 is putting enormous pressure on supply chains worldwide. In a recent global survey among key executives from technology, logistics, retail and supply chain, over 63% of respondents believe the COVID-19 pandemic will bring supply-chain behaviors into even sharper focus. How can RFID help?

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COVID-19 ups the ante in the race for convenience

June 2020

The need for social distancing is accelerating the trend toward more convenient, digitally-enabled, "frictionless" shopping. Innovators are turning to RFID for better customer experiences, vastly improved inventory management, and more. Julie Vargas, our Intelligent Labels global director of RFID market development for Food, shares her perspective on the new meaning of “convenience” in a post-pandemic world.

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The end of queues? A roadmap to beyond the COVID-19 era

May 2020

We’ve seen major retailers shut their doors, whilst stores that stock the essentials are implementing drastic measures to keep the public safe. Queues, however, could still be a hotbed for the spreading of COVID-19: Are ‘Scan and Go’ platforms an effective — and potentially permanent — solution?

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Touchless retail experiences – the new normal

May 2020

COVID-19 will contribute to a fundamental shift in consumer behavior. For Francisco Melo, vice president and general manager, Global Intelligent Labels, Avery Dennison, it’s clear that retail as we know it will need to further innovate, and that ‘touchless’ retail concepts will help bricks-and-mortar stores not only defend their territory but shape the future of retail.

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From soil to table: How regenerative agriculture is changing food transparency

April 2020

Regenerative agriculture – a method of farming that actively enriches soil and ecosystems rather than depleting them – is on the rise. The Future Laboratory looks at the companies using packaging and storytelling strategies to make the connection between the food you eat, the soil it grows in, and how this affects the planet.

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Cosmetics are now one of the top counterfeited items in the world. What can beauty brands do about it?

March 2020

Cosmetics now rank in the top 10 of counterfeited items in the UK, posing a real threat to both consumers and brands. The Future Laboratory speaks with Foreo North America on how the beauty device brand is tackling counterfeit products in the age of the Internet.

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Why Smartrac is an obvious choice for McKinsey’s “store of the future”

December 2019

McKinsey, a global consultancy powerhouse, recently launched its ‘Modern Retail Collective’ store to unlock the power of multiple technologies. It should come as no surprise that NFC is one of those technologies, and even less of a surprise that Smartrac is its sole initial NFC supplier.

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Refillable beauty packaging is becoming aspirational

October 2019

Once a niche concept, more beauty brands are embracing refills and redesigning their product to make it a luxurious proposition. The Future Laboratory and Avery Dennison explore this future trend and how to leverage it using Intelligent Labels tech.

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Bringing technology into packaging

October 2019

As consumers become more aware of the products they eat, food producers and brands are looking for smart and sustainable packaging alternatives that respond to their needs, and have a positive effect on the supply chain and ultimately the environment.

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How the personalized nutrition revolution will reshape food packaging and labeling

September 2019

The Future Laboratory speaks with Tal Lapidot, CEO of Silo, on how his company’s vacuum-seal storage system will change the way we interact with food in the home.

A tracking solution for beer kegs and other returnable transport items

August 2019

Smartrac has launched its Maxdura® Keg tag product line, available as RAIN RFID (UHF) and dual-frequency (UHF and NFC) tags, for adhesive mounting or PU embedding on difficult-to-tag curved metal containers such as beer kegs.

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Enabling transparency and visibility across the fashion supply chain

May 2019

Improving transparency and visibility in the fashion supply chain helps to avoid waste and to create a sustainable, circular economy.

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Why NFC has just become super-attractive - for all!

March 2019

NFC is a magnificent technology that offers virtually endless possibilities for smart and connected products, enabling many applications such as enhanced consumer engagement and brand loyalty, secure product authentication and instant ordering – all at the tap of a smartphone.

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What's in a label? Blockchain and the future of food and drink packaging

January 2019

Our first article with Future Lab highlights the opportunity for the food industry to embrace Blockchain, and opens the discussion on how Intelligent Labels will transform the future of retail.

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NFC: the “next big thing” for the pharmaceutical industry

September 2018

RFID technology and its subset NFC have already left a significant mark on several industries, from logistics and manufacturing to brands and retail. The next area to massively benefit could be pharmaceuticals – since here, RFID has at least as many profitable and sustainable use cases as in its traditional strongholds.

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