Ma Balise, Belgian distributor of smart labels under the Ephém™ brand, has been awarded a Jury Special Mention at the Avant-garde Awards during Packaging Première Milano 2026, in the Innovative Materials category. The mention did not exist before the evening. Faced with 7 finalists — the most contested category of the night — the jury chose to create an additional prize. They gave it to Ephém™ by Ma Balise.
Ephém™ labels replace the conventional 7-layer plastic construction with a 4-layer architecture: FSC-certified paper, conductive ink antenna, adhesive, release liner. No PVC. No PET. No chemical etching. The result is a fully functional NFC or UHF RFID label, certified compostable in 90 days (DIN CERTCO, TÜV Rheinland) and recyclable in standard paper streams (PTS Paper). Same read range. Same chip compatibility. Gone in a season — not in a century.
"Brands spend years making their packaging irreproachable. Then they ruin it with a plastic chip no one talks about. Ephém™ closes that gap. Milan just said so out loud."
— Philippe HENIN, Founder, Ma Balise
The Milan distinction follows two consecutive European recognitions: Lauréat LuxePack in Green Award 2025 in Monaco — first entry, first award — and finalist at Cosmetic 360 Awards 2025 in Paris, where the jury specifically highlighted the innovation. Three events. Three signals pointing in the same direction.
The timing is not accidental. The EU Digital Product Passport regulation arrives in 2027, making connected labels mandatory for cosmetics brands across Europe. Most will reach for the cheapest chip available. Some will ask what that chip costs their brand over the next hundred years.
Ephém™ is the answer for the ones who ask.