An increase in the demand for the next generation of “Internet-of-Things” has motivated efforts to develop portable, flexible, and affordable smart electronic systems, in line with sustainable development and carbon neutrality.

One of the best alternative materials to face the zero e-waste challenge is cellulose, the most abundant and renewable biopolymer resource on Earth, and the main component of paper. Cellulose is an increasingly attractive resource to be explored towards a more circular economy, which is in line with the 12th of the Sustainable Development Goals. This remarkable material is compatible with “green” reengineering approaches capable of tuning its properties, as well as printing/ coating technologies, enabling the mass production of a sustainable generation of affordable, flexible, portable and customizable smart systems onto cellulose/ paper-based substrates that can be integrated into everyday products (e.g. packaging).

Recyclable cellulose-based ionic conductors hold potential to fulfill such demands when explored as i) reusable/ repairable hydrogel stickers, ii) ionic “paper-like” substrates, or iii) in-situ regenerated hydrogels that can be integrated into “universal” logic gates with flexible, low-power, printed transistors and fiber-shaped supercapacitors. These hydrogels are obtained from a simple, fast, low-cost, and environmental-friendly aqueous alkali salt/urea dissolution method of native cellulose.

The findings of this work offer a cost-effective solution for the development of innovative and sustainable cellulose/ paper-based smart packaging products (e.g. food), integrating battery-powered printed sensing/ electronic systems and radio-frequency identification tags designed to provide valuable information to the consumer and monitor the quality and storage conditions of the product.