We're excited to share that Xordex Ventures will be at the AIPIA & AWA Smart Packaging World Congress 2026 in Amsterdam this May. Our CEO, Oleg Rutkowski, will deliver a session on how the shift from "packaging as protection" to "packaging as connection" is reshaping the brand–consumer relationship.
If you work on packaging strategy, brand protection, or consumer engagement — and you'll be in Amsterdam on 20–21 May 2026 — this is the conversation to be in.
The session
From Protection to Connection: How Smart Packaging Prevents Fraud, Enables Lifecycle Traceability, and Drives Consumer Engagement
For decades, packaging optimized for two things: protecting the product in transit, and merchandising on the shelf. In 2026 it's optimizing for a third: becoming a data-driven touchpoint across the entire product lifecycle.
This isn't a future-facing prediction. The brands moving on connected packaging in 2025–2026 are seeing measurable lift on:
For current product capabilities and a scoped demonstration, see the Hashentic platform.
The session will cover three operational arcs:
1. Preventing counterfeiting
The mechanics of NFC-based authentication — chip selection, placement, and how the cryptographic verification model works at the point of consumer scan. We'll walk through real placements across product categories with label placement and reading performance validated for the finished packaging.
2. Lifecycle traceability
How identifiers connect product records with lifecycle updates supplied by brands and their systems. Passport requirements depend on the product category. Ownership transfer, repair systems and end-of-life processes require their own data flows and integrations. See the current DPP capabilities.
3. Consumer engagement
The most underappreciated part of connected packaging: the scan is a high-intent moment. A consumer who just tapped a product is more likely to opt-in to a loyalty program, refer a friend, or repurchase than a consumer encountering the brand in any other context. The brands that treat the scan as a marketing channel — not just a compliance artifact — are seeing the biggest lifetime-value gains.
We'll share aggregated data from our customer base on what the post-scan experience should look like, what to A/B test, and what mistakes to avoid.
Why we're going
Three reasons:
- The packaging industry is the implementation layer for our infrastructure. Hashentic provides the chip, software, and verification stack — but it gets embedded into bottles, boxes, jars, and labels. The packaging companies in this room are the ones we partner with on real-world deployment.
- AIPIA & AWA bring brand-side decision-makers in volume. Heads of Packaging, CMOs, and Brand Protection leads from major CPG and luxury houses are all here. The conversations are direct and operational.
- Amsterdam in May is unbeatable. (Honest reason.)
Who should attend our session
The talk is structured for three audiences:
- Brand-side: marketing, brand protection, packaging, sustainability leads sizing a connected-packaging program
- Tech partners: NFC/RFID chip vendors, label manufacturers, packaging integrators who want to compare implementation models
- Industry stakeholders: analysts, regulators, retailers, and resale platforms shaping how connected packaging fits into broader supply-chain digitalization
Practical info
- Event: AIPIA & AWA Smart Packaging World Congress 2026
- Dates: 20–21 May 2026
- Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Speaker: Oleg Rutkowski, CEO & Co-founder, Xordex Ventures
- Registration: Via the official AIPIA event page
If you'll be there
If you'd like to book a private conversation with our team while we're in Amsterdam — to discuss your specific category, deployment model, or pilot scope — reach out via the contact form and mention AIPIA. We have limited slots available across the two days and will prioritize teams already evaluating a 2026 pilot.
For pre-reading, three pieces from this blog are most relevant to the session topic:
- How luxury brands are killing the grey market with NFC — the brand-protection angle
- Pilot case study: single-origin coffee with NFC provenance — the consumer-engagement angle
- The 2025 counterfeit market report — the market context
Smart packaging isn't an emerging category in 2026 — it's the operational standard for any brand serious about both the trust and the engagement layer of the consumer relationship. Looking forward to the conversations in Amsterdam.
