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STILE

PROJECT

STILE

Nano-Technological Anti-Counterfeiting Strategies for Sustainable Made-in-Italy
PROJECT LEAD

Antonio De Luca, Università della Calabria - Responsabile Scientifico del progetto

CONCEPT

The main goal of STILE is to develop a revolutionary paradigm for the production and protection of Made-in-Italy (MiI) products, aimed at intelligently, sustainably, and creatively overcoming the widespread issue of counterfeiting.

STILE also aims to merge and innovate the concepts of “color” and “material.” The project tackles this challenge through two Specific Objectives (SOs):

  • SO1: Development of biodegradable fluorescent anti-counterfeiting labels based on optical speckle patterns or electro-fluoro-active cellulose.
  • SO2: Use of plasmonics as a structural metallic pigmentation strategy to produce iridescent colors through ultrathin metal coatings.
CONTEXT

The Made-in-Italy brand—renowned worldwide for creativity, quality, and authenticity—identifies products fully manufactured in Italy. However, in Italy, the primary protection against counterfeiting is trademark registration, a tool that, while essential, is not sufficient for consumers to verify product authenticity.

There is an urgent need for stronger, verifiable protection along the entire supply chain. STILE addresses this gap through the use of Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) within a sustainable, circular bio-economy context, and plasmonic-based Italian accessory design, offering an innovative and secure solution against counterfeiting.

Beneficiari

OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED RESULTS

Specific Objective 1

Development of unclonable labels made from biodegradable polymers of natural origin, exploiting laser-generated speckle patterns—including in fluorescence—as an anti-counterfeiting mechanism, effectively creating a Physically Unclonable Function (PUF).
The polymer matrices will be derived from vegetable or animal waste:

  • Chitosan from shellfish waste (e.g., shrimp and crab shells)
  • Cellulose from textile waste, especially broom plant (ginestra)

These biopolymers form the basis of STILE’s circular bio-economy approach, converting industrial waste into advanced technological products.

Specific Objective 2

Development of a new concept of Made-in-Italy accessories based on structural colors achieved through plasmonics. The method involves depositing a nanostructured ultra-thin coating on metallic surfaces (jewelry, watch dials, etc.).
Unlike traditional pigments, these coatings create “nano-islands” rather than a continuous film, producing unique optical effects: brilliant, iridescent, unclonable colors.

 

Research Work Packages

  • WP1 – Biodegradable material production: Valorization of production waste, extraction of natural polymers, and material characterization.
  • WP2 – Biodegradable fluorescent anti-counterfeiting labels: Fabrication of unclonable biodegradable labels using fluorescent speckle patterns and electro-fluoro-active materials. Assessment of technology transfer potential.
  • WP3 – “Non-clonable plasmonic” accessories: Implementation of the “material is color” paradigm and validation of a plasmonic PUF. Definition of application domains in the sales market.
  • WP4 – Proof-of-Concept: Creation of a plasmonic watch dial prototype, representing a tangible example of a Made-in-Italy anti-counterfeiting accessory.

KEY FIGURES

8

RESEARCHERS INVOLVED

4863

RESEARCH HOURS

4

NEW HIRES EXPECTED

16

PROJECT DURATION

4

NUMBER OF WORK PACKAGES (WPS)

2

STARTING TRL

3-4

FINAL TRL