Tokyo – Toppan Printing (Toppan), a global leader in communication, security, packaging, décor materials, and electronics solutions, and Amcor, a leading global packaging company, have announced an agreement to collaborate on providing an anti-counterfeiting solution for the wine and spirits markets.

The two companies have combined Toppan’s strength in the development of NFC tag-based high-security technologies with Amcor’s manufacturing and supply capabilities to develop InTact, a capsule for wine and spirits with an integrated NFC tag that detects opening or tampering. Practical testing of InTact at a French winery commenced in late 2016 and the creation of a robust supply chain has now enabled the launch of full-scale sales. Toppan and Amcor will be offering InTact as a high-security solution to combat damage caused by counterfeiting in the market for alcoholic beverages.

© Amcor Capsules / Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.
The InTact capsule incorporates an NFC tag that detects breaking and can be authenticated using a smartphone.

The NFC enabled capsule represents a high-security closing solution to help prevent fraudulent refilling and grey market diversion of original bottles, which has been a growing problem in the wine and spirits industry. The combination of Toppan’s original antenna structure and an IC (integrated circuit) chip with a break detection circuit enables breakage or tampering with the capsule to be detected. As the capsule stores a unique digital certificate to authenticate the bottle, it can also be used for targeted sales promotions and various consumer engagement campaigns.

The NFC tag is discretely integrated in the inside of the capsule, allowing alcoholic beverage producers to adopt it with minimal change to their existing filling and packaging process. Most capsules for premium alcoholic beverages are made from metal, but because metal tends to interfere with the RFID tag’s radio wave communication, Amcor has developed a new capsule with a unique structure combining metallic and non-metallic films. The capsule ultimately enables wine and spirits producers as well as final consumers to confirm each bottle's authenticity with the tap of an NFC-enabled smartphone.

“Our customers have an ever-increasing demand for functionalities such as product authentication, opening detection and consumer engagement and we have been working to develop a capsule construction that can incorporate an NFC tag with seamless communication,” said Nicolas Freynet, General Manager of Amcor Capsules.

“Toppan has been developing RFID tags for wine and spirits since 2014. A thorough understanding of the market and extensive insight regarding customers are required to enable propositions that ensure customers are able to make full use of RFID tags,” said Yoshiyuki Mizuguchi, General Manager of Global Business Development for Toppan’s security products business.

Toppan will be showcasing the InTact capsule developed with Amcor as well as other cutting-edge solutions at LUXE PACK MONACO (https://www.luxepack.com/en/), the premier show for creative packaging, at the Grimaldi Forum from September 30 to October 2.