Consumers and brands are becoming increasingly concerned about the sustainability of the products and materials they buy: Tageos is leading the way toward making its company and RFID products more sustainable – actively shaping the transformation of businesses and value chains to a sustainable future.

According to research by Cap Gemini, 64% of consumers say that buying sustainable products makes them feel happy when shopping. What’s more, the majority (over 53%) prefer to engage with Consumer Products and Retail (CPR) companies that showcase strong sustainability credentials and embody a sense of purpose.

Furthermore, the “Meet the 2020 consumers driving change” research insights report by IBM and the NRF (National Retail Federation) surveyed shoppers worldwide and found that:

• Nearly six in 10 consumers surveyed are willing to change their shopping habits to reduce environmental impact;
• Almost eight in 10 respondents indicate sustainability is important for them;
• Among those who say it is very/extremely important, over 70% would pay a premium of 35%, on average, for brands that are sustainable and environmentally responsible.

• Zero Hunger: RFID can greatly help to minimize food waste by providing more item-level visibility throughout the food supply chain;
• Clean Water and Sanitation: By increasing inventory accuracy and thus helping to minimize overproduction, the use of fresh water for fabric production can be strongly reduced with RFID solutions;
• Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: Better automation of manufacturing sites and increased visibility of their supply chains enabled through RFID leads to more efficient and sustainable industrialization;
• Responsible Consumption & Production: Higher supply chain visibility through RFID leads to better supply/demand management and reduces overproduction;
• Climate Action: CO₂ emissions can be heavily reduced by leveraging the higher supply chain visibility provided by RFID solutions to optimize carbon emissions from transportation and reduce overproduction.

Whether or not they have signed up to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the changing landscape of global opinion and acting is increasing the pressure on businesses and industries to consider, introduce, and ensure maximum sustainability at all levels of the supply chain, from production to point of sale and beyond.

As a responsible global player, Tageos has conducted a company-wide carbon footprint analysis to minimize its overall footprint and laid out a plan to become Net Zero by 2050. This will be achieved by reducing the carbon footprint per inlay produced by 58% by 2032, and to net zero by 2050.

As part of Label Bas Carbone, the French standard for low-carbon certification, Tageos launched an afforestation program. To date, the company took on multiple hectares of undeveloped agricultural land in the south of France and planted several thousand trees to mitigate its carbon footprint impact in the long term and plans to continuously increase and expand this initiative over the coming years.

In terms of the products it makes, Tageos conducted a Lifecycle Analysis of different inlays using multiple antenna technologies and substrates to assess and be able to further optimize the carbon footprint of its own individual products going ahead.

And at the individual product level, Tageos has responded to the growing demand for sustainable solutions by developing our EOS Zero™ paper-based inlays, which completely avoid any plastic waste and use no harmful components. Their combination of high quality and innovation with best-in-class performance represents Tageos’ full-blown commitment to the highest ecological and sustainable actions and values, with zero tolerance.

EOS Zero™ RAIN RFID inlays and tags are made of FSC® certified, fully recyclable paper to strongly reduce waste and plastic consumption, and to help drive sustainability programs globally:

• Antennas and chips are assembled on a paper substrate;
• Antennas are free of heavy metals and free of conflict-area materials;
• All products are 100% plastic-free;
• EOS Zero™ Max inlays have been tested to be compliant with paper recycling;
• All products are designed to have the lowest possible environmental impact and are fully compliant with a wide range of certifications.

Tageos has clear and defined initiatives and programs in place to achieve its own sustainability goal of becoming Net Zero by 2050. The broad strokes of this industry-leading strategy include:

• Producing RFID inlays with recyclable or biodegradable materials for minimal residual waste at the end of product life.
• Lifecycle Assessment of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) footprint of our products and systematic research into new technologies to minimize it.
• Leveraging sustainable business models starting with re-using materials and returning production remains to suppliers.
• Create and ensure highly sustainable manufacturing sites.

Tageos is fully committed to sustainability and will be extending its range of sustainable RFID inlays and tags going forward. The next steps are right in front - and we will keep you updated on its contribution and progress toward a sustainable future. For further information about our EOS Zero™ portfolio of truly sustainable products, please click here.