Sony Develops Contactless IC Card from Vegetable-Derived Plastic

Sony Corp. of Japan announced in September 2004 that it has successfully developed contactless IC (CLIC) cards made of vegetable-based plastic, a material it has been promoting for its products and packaging materials CLIC cards, using radio frequency technology, does not require physical contact with a card reading device and can be used for a variety of applications such as credit or prepaid transactions, transportation passes, and personal identification.

Sony achieved this success after repeated testing of the selection of materials, including polylactic acid, the main constituent of the vegetable plastic; the ratio of materials used; ways to mix the materials; and ways to manufacture CLIC cards from vegetable-based plastic. This new card compares favorably with currently-used CLIC cards in terms of signal transmission, reliability and strength.

The vegetable-derived materials account for 90 percent in volume and 75 percent in weight of the new card. It is more eco-friendly than existing cards because manufacturing it requires less nonrenewable resources and produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and it uses more recyclable and chemically safe materials.



Posted: 2004/12/07 12:40:29 PM
Japanese version