UK-based Advanced E-Textiles is on its way to revolutionize the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags for luxury brands by developing thread-size microelectronic RFID tags.
Tags by Advanced E-Textiles are undetectable threads that could track the lifecycle of a garment, contain information about the garment’s fibre content and age, and where it was bought from. Once a consumer outwears the garment, he/she could return it to the brand’s retail store for recycling. The old threads can be spun into new items, eventually reducing production costs and waste. In case there’s no RFID tag detected, the garment would be presumed fake. If the garment is shoplifted or if a cargo crate goes missing, the thief would have to disassemble the item to find the tag, making it a more expensive operation.
Dr. Anura Rathnayake, Founder and CEO of Advanced E-Textiles explains, “Current RFID tags are difficult to manufacture and incorporate into textiles because they’re bulky and they don’t guarantee washability or durability,” while adding that conventional tags are also easily recognizable, hence making the garment more vulnerable for theft.
Also Read – PAL Robotics to launch RFID Tag-reading robot
It may be mentioned here that the RFID industry is expected to reach US $ 18 billion or more by 2026, reports forbes.com, with companies like ZARA, Kohl’s, and Macy’s already investing in better RFID technologies. More than half of the US retail chains have RFID access control and tracking systems within their stores, and nearly all will have in the next few years…, which will further increase demand in the RFID industry.
