Zebra’s role in the European Green Deal

Jakob Nieweg: Hello Richard, I’m delighted to talk to you about Zebra’s role in the European Green Deal (EGD). What exactly is the European Green Deal and what are its main objectives? What is meant by Digital Product Passport (DPP) and how does it contribute to achieving the objectives of the Green Deal?

Richard Barfield: Hello Jakob, I’m pleased to be here. The European Green Deal is a comprehensive strategy launched by the European Union to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The main objectives are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote sustainable economic growth and protect the environment through various regulatory and policy measures. The strategy consists of three core components: The European Green Deal, the overarching initiative that sets the targets, an eco-design for sustainable products, which sets out how products are designed from the outset with the circular economy in mind, and the Digital Product Passport (DPP), which contains information about the life cycle of a product. The aim of the DPP is to improve transparency, traceability and accountability in the supply chain and to enable consumers and businesses to make informed decisions based on the environmental impact of a product.

Jakob Nieweg: How exactly do POS and Auto-ID technologies contribute to the realisation of the Green Deal and the DPP?

Richard Barfield: AIDC technologies are crucial for improving traceability and transparency within supply chains. Barcode scanners, thermal labels, mobile computing solutions, RFID printers and RFID tags enable real-time tracking of products throughout their lifecycle. Zebra’s thermal printing technologies support the printing and encoding of QR codes or RFID tags to provide a serialised ID for each product. Advanced scanning solutions capture critical data at every stage of the supply chain, ensuring that all the information required by a DPP is accurately recorded and easily accessible. This provides consumers with transparent information about the environmental impact of the products they buy.

Jakob Nieweg: What role does a digital product passport (DPP) play in improving the transparency of supply chains? What are the most important goals and benefits?

Richard Barfield: A DPP will essentially facilitate supply chain transparency by providing detailed, accessible and verifiable information about the life cycle of a product, such as component and material tracking, real-time data exchange, regulatory compliance and verification. This supports a more sustainable and ethical approach to production and consumption in line with global sustainability goals. When consumers are able to make informed purchasing decisions based on sustainable and ethical practices in relation to a product, their behaviour towards products should change.

Jakob Nieweg: What about the technical and data protection tackle challenges in implementing the DPP? What product information do you think a DPP should contain in order to be effective?

Richard Barfield: Companies face challenges in the areas of interoperability, data management, data protection, compliance and cyber security. To successfully tackle these challenges, a DPP must have comprehensive information on product details, components and materials, manufacturing processes, environmental impact, compliance and certifications, supply chain traceability, end-of-life instructions and consumer information.

Jakob Nieweg: What opportunities do the new regulations and the implementation of the DPP offer manufacturers?

Richard Barfield: I have already mentioned some factors such as increased efficiency, consumer confidence and market differentiation. However, it is also worth looking at less obvious factors. These include, for example, access to sustainable finance. Companies that demonstrate strong sustainability practices under EPP may have better access to green financing options, including lower lending rates, increased investment from ESG-focused investors, and government grants or subsidies.

Compliance with international sustainability standards and more transparent supply chains can also open up new export markets and build trade relationships, as many countries and regions favour sustainable products. Employee engagement and retention is also strengthened as they increasingly prioritise sustainability and ethical practices.

Jakob Nieweg: What initial steps should companies take to improve environmental monitoring in their supply chain? How can they be prepared and supported for sustainability?

Richard Barfield: Improving environmental management in the supply chain involves a number of strategic steps, such as carrying out an inventory, involving stakeholders, introducing monitoring tools, developing a sustainable procurement policy and training.

At Zebra, we are committed to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). We also have an employee resource group called »The Green Herd«. The group consists of 300 volunteers worldwide who want to monitor their own carbon footprint and take responsibility for improvements in this area. This is a great example: If individuals can take the initiative, so can organisations.

The first step should always be to define clear goals. Once you have these, you can start to identify the areas that can be improved. I would suggest starting with the modernisation of supply chains. A DPP will depend on digital triggers such as QR codes and RFID tags. So, if customers are lagging behind technologically – perhaps still using pen and paper or limited to 1D codes – helping them implement current technologies and processes is a promising place to start.

Jakob Nieweg: What does the future of sustainable supply chains look like? What trends and developments are expected in the coming years? How does Zebra support the market?

Richard Barfield: The European Green Deal and DPP will continue to drive trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT), RFID, blockchain, AI, machine learning and machine vision. Real-time insights, visibility and transparency as well as data-driven decision making will also become more important. We will see supply chains where both frontline workers and management are better connected and have devices with wearable technology, a core offering from Zebra.

For example, from 2029, a DPP for food will require real-time information on freshness or freezing status to be available during transport so that action can be taken if deviations from the specified temperature parameters could affect the condition of the product. Zebra offers a range of electronic and optical environmental sensors that fulfil these requirements. Our ZS300 temperature sensor, together with the ZB200 Bridge, provides an optimal solution for networked data collection to build a traceability chain, maximise productivity and ensure quality and regulatory compliance. In combination with our ET40/ET45 and ET60/ET65 tablets, the sensors form a perfect ecosystem that provides an overview of the temperature data from any ZS300 or ZB200 for a perfect dashboard view.

Jakob Nieweg: What other steps has Zebra taken so far to promote sustainability in production? What are the long-term effects of the Green Deal for Zebra?

Richard Barfield: I have already mentioned our science-based targets (SBTi) and our »Green Herd« movement. We also published our first sustainability report this year. This report covers the global initiatives of all Zebra sites, subsidiaries, departments and employees. To achieve our ambitious goals, we must constantly review our practices and processes. This includes projects to eliminate single-use plastic from our packaging, the provision of charging stations for electric cars in our car parks and the search for more environmentally friendly materials for our products, such as potato starch for the cartridges of our ZSB printers.

We have launched a great initiative for our sales partners with our new Sustainability Recognition Programme. The recognition is based on our partners’ expertise and investment in sustainable solutions.

We are currently experiencing increasing demand from our customers for sustainable products. Part of this demand is motivated by compliance with laws and regulations, but a large part comes voluntarily from customers who are at the forefront with proactive CSR policies. A DPP will be the driving force to ensure that in the future all stakeholders fulfil the requirements for a more sustainable future.

Jakob Nieweg: Richard, thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions about Zebra’s role in the European Green Deal. I’m sure this will be helpful to many who are interested in this topic.

Ask your sales representative about the electronic temperature sensors and the ET40/ET45 and ET60/ET65 tablets from Zebra when you next call!