Avery Dennison has announced what it describes as the first-to-market mass-scale integration of Pragmatic Semiconductor’s flexible NFC chip technology. The partnership brings together Avery Dennison’s RFID and NFC inlay manufacturing capability with Pragmatic’s innovative flexible integrated circuit (FlexIC) platform, marking a significant step forward for item-level NFC connectivity in consumer goods.
The integration centres on Pragmatic’s NFC Connect PR1301 product line, a flexible IC designed specifically for NFC applications. Unlike conventional silicon-based chips, the FlexIC is ultra-thin, flexible and robust enough to be applied to curved and irregular surfaces. That makes it a natural fit for packaging formats where rigid silicon chips have traditionally struggled, from bottles and tubes to pouches and blister packs.
For brands, the technology opens up a straightforward route to secure smartphone-tap interactions on packaged goods. A consumer simply taps their phone against the product to access digital content, verify authenticity or engage with brand experiences. There is no app required and the interaction works across both iOS and Android devices, following standard NFC protocols.
The environmental angle is worth noting too. Pragmatic’s manufacturing process uses significantly fewer chemicals, less energy and less water compared to traditional silicon semiconductor fabrication. For companies under pressure to reduce supply chain environmental impact, that is a meaningful differentiator when selecting NFC components at scale.
Target applications span retail, healthcare, digital brand experiences, product authentication and Digital Product Passport (DPP) compliance. With EU regulations on DPPs approaching implementation deadlines, the ability to cost-effectively tag individual items with NFC could prove critical for brands selling into European markets. The technology also supports edge and item-level intelligence, giving supply chain operators visibility down to the individual product rather than just the case or pallet level.
Mathieu De Backer, Vice President at Avery Dennison, highlighted NFC as increasingly important digital infrastructure for consumer-facing products. Meanwhile, James Davey, Senior Vice President at Pragmatic Semiconductor, pointed to the partnership as a route to delivering deeper consumer engagement at a scale that has not previously been achievable with flexible NFC technology.
The combination of low-cost item-level tagging, flexible form factor and sustainable manufacturing positions this as a serious proposition for brands looking to move beyond barcode-only identification. Whether the driver is regulatory compliance, consumer engagement or supply chain visibility, having a flexible NFC inlay that can be produced and applied at mass scale removes one of the key barriers that has historically limited NFC adoption on fast-moving consumer goods.