What We Do

DNA taggants are the most advanced and secure technology available to the printing and packaging industries to combat counterfeit products. APDN’s SigNature® DNA taggants offer a high level of security and flexibility in a cost-effective and easy-to-use format to suit the requirements and budget of any company.  

Document Security

The forging of passports and identity documents poses a grave threat to national security. Forged documents enable identity theft and provide a means for terrorists to cross borders. Six of the nineteen suicide bombers involved in the 9/11 attacks were traveling on forged passports and government authorities believe that there is an Al Qaeda unit devoted to creating forged identity documents. In May 2009, British authorities arrested two men charged with forging thousands of European passports.

A PBS Frontline story from 2001 illustrates the worst case scenario of this problem. It details how terrorists are specifically trained to use counterfeit documents to move across borders. The story states that using counterfeit documents is part of the security training of Al Qaeda operatives. This story also states that the terrorists affiliate themselves with organized criminal syndicates that smuggle humans and provide counterfeit documents to accomplish this. Counterfeit documents enable the rest of the illegal activity to occur, which makes them a weapon that could be a lot more dangerous than an assault rifle, IED or RPG violence.

Packaging and Labels

The scourge of counterfeiting in packaging has greatly intensified in recent years. Counterfeiting has spiked, causing detrimental health concerns for consumers, safety concerns for law enforcement agencies, and financial concerns for businesses worldwide. As a result, the global anti counterfeit packaging market will reach about $82.2 billion by the year 2015, according to California-based Global Industry Analysts Inc.An agreement between Applied DNA and Disc Graphics (DISC), an innovative and agile packaging and label company, points out the value of DNA counterfeit protection to the packaging industry.

Comments Margaret Krumholz, President of DISC:

“This agreement leverages DISC’s broad customer base of high value brands and offers us a leading edge, forensic anti-counterfeit solution to combat the growing problem of counterfeit and grey market goods entering the supply and distribution chain.  

Packaging is on the front line of fighting counterfeiters and we are excited to make DNA an integral part of our overarching package security program. Our core customers including major film studios, pharmaceutical manufacturers, fragrance and luxury brand companies all experience market erosion from counterfeit products and are searching for weapons to battle this multi-billion dollar problem.”