The Holy Grail in RFID today is return on investment (ROI). And the Reusable Pallet and Container Coalition (RPCC) thinks it may have found it.

The key, says RPCC executive director Jeanie Johnson, is integrating RFID tags with reusable pallets and containers. Her organization is preparing to launch a research project to test the idea.

"The RFID testing that's been done, the trials that have been performed, have all been on expendable packaging," says Johnson. "We believe this project is going to show that reusables are going to become the enabler of RFID technology."

The project includes three phases:

1. Working with a university to test the durability of the RFID tags
2. Developing an economic model for integrating RFID tags with reusable containers
3. Conducting a field test to prove the concept works in actual shipping conditions