Pulpatronics

About Pulpatronics

Pulpatronics is a London-based company founded in 2022 that has developed a sustainable alternative to conventional Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. The company was started by Chloe So (CEO) and Barna Soma Biro (CTO) as a master's project while they were graduate students at Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art. Their innovation addresses the environmental problem of e-waste, as billions of single-use RFID tags, which contain metal antennas and silicon microchips, end up in landfills annually.

Pulpatronics' core technology involves using a laser to create a conductive carbon-based circuit directly onto a special paper substrate. This process eliminates the need for metal and silicon components, making the tags chipless and entirely paper-based. Information is stored in the geometric pattern of the circuit itself, similar to how a barcode functions, but readable via radio signals without a direct line of sight. This approach significantly simplifies the manufacturing process and allows the tags to be recycled with standard paper waste. The company states its technology can reduce CO2 emissions by 70% and cut production costs by half compared to traditional RFID tags.

The business serves industries that rely on high-volume, single-use item tracking, with an initial focus on the retail and fashion sectors, which are major users of RFID technology for inventory management and anti-theft. The lower cost of these eco-friendly tags is intended to make RFID technology more accessible to smaller companies. The company is also exploring applications in packaging and healthcare. Pulpatronics has secured pre-seed funding from investors including Sustainable Ventures, NextSTEP, and Cranfield Seed Fund to accelerate product development and launch pilot programs.