The evolution of tags, labels, and trims for product authenticity

Product authentication, anti-counterfeiting, and Digital Product Passport integrated into paper-based product supports.

Want to learn more?

Your product is authentic.
And today, it can prove it.

Smart Tags transform hangtags, woven labels, and micro-packaging into tools for product authentication, anti-counterfeiting, track-and-trace, and Digital Product Passport (DPP) management.

A single gesture, zero changes to your production processes.
One tap. More control.

Today, the risk isn’t just product counterfeiting

In today’s market, the risk for a “luxury” product is not limited to counterfeiting, but also includes the loss of control over the individual product and the entire supply chain: non-authentic product returns, parallel channels that are difficult to monitor, and increasingly stringent regulatory requirements.

In fashion, especially with the upcoming Fashion DPP, but also in food and cosmetics, labeling is the first point of contact between the product, brand, and customer.

And it is also the most exposed point.

Today, this point of contact can also become the point of authenticity verification.

Thanks to instant authentication technologies, anti-counterfeiting systems, and digital traceability, hangtags and labels can be transformed into active tools for online brand protection, grey market tracking, and Digital Product Passport management.

Copied QR codes. Retrofitted solutions. Digital systems disconnected from production. All of this generates costs, friction, and inefficiencies.

The solution is to integrate authentication and traceability directly into your hangtag, woven labels, or packaging.

Don’t add an external system; design it together with the label or packaging.

What is the Digital Product Passport (DPP)

The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a digital profile that accompanies every batch of products and certifies its:

identity
origin
raw material composition
supply chain journey
environmental impact

In the coming years, it will become a mandatory standard in Europe, starting with the textile sector.

Every batch of products must be uniquely identified, verifiable along the supply chain, and associated with reliable and updated information.

The DPP is not just an obligation. It is a strategic lever.

When integrated directly into the trimming, the Digital Product Passport also becomes a digital product certification system that can accompany it throughout its life cycle, including any transfers in the secondary market through a verifiable Second-Hand Property Certificate.

Proper integration allows you to:

prove authenticity
strengthen trust
prepare for regulations
transform packaging into a digital access point

The most natural place to make the digital product passport accessible is the label.

With CO&IN, the DPP is born with the labeling. Not after.

The CO&IN solution for product authentication and marketing

CO&IN develops and produces hangtags, NFC labels, NFC tags, RFID tags, NFC seals, unique QR codes, and micro-packaging with anti-counterfeiting features.

Production is coordinated and integrated.

No component remains disconnected.

This allows for the management of aesthetics, security, and technology within the same production flow, maintaining control over quality, timing, and technical consistency.

Integrating a smart tag into the trimming means responding in a structured way to three central needs for brands: protection, compliance, and digital value.

1. Brand Protection

Recognizing an original in a second is no longer an option. It is an operational necessity.

CO&IN solutions combine physical security features, NFC labels, tamper-evident NFC seals, unique QR codes, and various anti-counterfeiting technologies integrated directly into the paper support or micro-packaging.

It’s not an element added at the final stage, but protection designed alongside graphics, printing, and processing. The result? A consistent system, difficult to replicate, immediate to verify.

Want to assess the vulnerability level of your current trimming?

2. Future Compliance

The introduction of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) requires a gradual and structured approach.

Integrating a smart tag today means preparing the transition to the digital product passport progressively, without creating parallel systems or IT duplications.

NFC technology can coexist with barcodes, ERP systems, and existing traceability platforms, avoiding invasive interventions in production processes.

It is an evolutionary step. Not a disruption.

Want a technical comparison on your state of DPP readiness?

3. Digital Value

A technical requirement can become a relationship tool.

Every product equipped with NFC, RFID, or dynamic QR code can turn into a digital access point for instant authentication, product certification, and Digital Product Passport management: an authentication channel, a space for certified content, a node for data collection along the lifecycle, and a marketing & promotion tool directly connected to the physical product.

The smart tag is not just anti-counterfeiting. It can become product marketing, traceability, and information management in a single physical support.

Want to learn more?

NFC Seal: Digital Authenticity Seal

The NFC seal is applied directly to the product or packaging. It is subtle, integrated into the design, and immediately verifiable. It allows contactless authentication, association with a unique digital identity, and real-time verification.

The seal cannot be removed without leaving obvious traces. If tampered with, it becomes useless.

This means more control for the brand and a concrete reduction in the risk of tampering.

Want to learn more about using NFC seals?

Multi-level security, without complexity

Each Smart Tag combines physical protection, digital protection, system checks, and track-and-trace functionality. This enables not only anti-counterfeiting protection but also grey market tracking, online brand protection, and distribution control across retail, logistics, and supply chain.

It can integrate with barcodes or existing ERP systems without requiring a complete process overhaul.

It is a solution designed to work in the real world: in production, in logistics, and at the point of sale.

Not just in theory.

Let’s talk about your current architecture.

Digital Product Passport (DPP) and more: from control to relationship with CO&IN support

Every scan of a smart tag or smart packaging can activate different levels of interaction.

It can verify product authentication via instant authentication, allow access to certified content, update the Digital Product Passport, support lifecycle management, and collect data on distribution and usage.

Without forcing the customer experience. Without losing control of the generated data.

Simple integration, scalable production

Support production is entirely end-to-end at CO&IN

We manage millions of units per month, integrating smart tags into existing flows without imposing process changes.

Solutions are customizable based on volume, sector, level of integration, and the complexity of the required security features.

Every project is sized based on real objectives: protection, DPP compliance, traceability, or digital marketing.

No standard packages. Only technical integration designed for the product.

Assess your level of control over product and supply chain

In 15 minutes, we analyze your current labeling and your level of preparation for the Digital Product Passport.

A technical discussion to understand risks, opportunities, and possible integrations.

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FAQ on CO&IN smart solutions

Do I need to change my production processes?

No. Smart Tags integrate into existing flows.

Do I need an app?

Verification can take place via smartphone. Verification levels are available with and without an app.

Can smart tags support the secondary market?

Yes. NFC technologies and digital identification systems can support the management of ownership and authenticity certificates even in the second-hand market through Second-Hand Property Certificate systems linked to the product.

Is it only for luxury?

No. It is suitable for fashion, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, and design brands that want to integrate anti-counterfeiting and DPP.

Can I start with a test?

Yes. It is possible to launch a pilot project on controlled volumes.

In 15 minutes:

we analyze your product
we evaluate current labeling
we verify DPP readiness
we define the most suitable solution

No commitment. No lock-in.

Take back control of your packaging. Turn your detail into an intelligent system.

Why CO&IN

Because we know trimming.
Because we produce directly.
Because we integrate raw materials, printing, and NFC technologies in the same project.
Because security must be concrete, not theoretical.

CO&IN S.r.l. | Via Dell’Artigianato, 40 – 40057, Granarolo Dell’Emilia, Bologna – Italy | VAT: IT00522471200