Nagel-Group wins ECR Innovation Excellence Award from GS1 Germany: Pilot project for digital traceability and real-time data for urban supply
Bonn, 30 September 2025. Nagel-Group, together with its subsidiary B+S GmbH Logistik und Dienstleistungen and the LEAFR corporate venture, was honoured to receive the renowned ECR Innovation Excellence Award from GS1 Germany. The company, working with project partners EatFresh GmbH, European EPC Competence Centre GmbH (EECC) and Bünting Großhandel und Service GmbH & Co. KG, has successfully implemented a pilot project for a fully digitalised delivery process with RFID tracking and real-time data.
How can fresh food be provided efficiently, transparently and sustainably in cities with increasing demands on delivery speed, traceability and environmental friendliness? This question was the starting point for a joint pilot project that specifically addresses the challenges that food logistics face: a lack of transparency in cold chains, a lack of digital networking between production, logistics and retail and insufficient real-time data along the supply chain. The aim was to digitally network all parties involved in a standardised way and to create a continuous data flow with simultaneous data sovereignty to form the basis for quality assurance, traceability and low-emission delivery.
Fully digitized supply chain from production to consumer
The solution is a fully digitalised delivery process that was successfully developed and implemented as part of the project. Freshly made wraps can be used to illustrate this process: the Bünting Group produces the wraps and carries out the RFID tagging (“Radio-Frequency Identification”) directly during packaging in the GS1 SMART box. The RFID tags used were evaluated by EECC GmbH and enable standardised data exchange via EPCIS (“Electronic Product Code Information Services”), a GS1 standard that digitally records all steps such as production, storage and delivery, making them all traceable.
After packaging, Nagel-Group transports the wraps to the B+S Logistik und Dienstleistungen warehouse in Alzenau under temperature control. This is where the order picking happens, preparing the products for the last mile of their journey. LEAFR delivers to EatFresh’s intelligent vending machines using low-emission transport. The wraps are then transported directly to the end consumer via the automated fridges. Thanks to the EECC’s latest SSI technology, consumers can decide for themselves whether they also want to be part of this E2E digitalised supply chain with their data.
From production and order picking to delivery and sales, the RFID tag makes sure every step is documented and traceable in real time. Modern technologies such as RFID, GPS tracking and real-time temperature monitoring are successfully combined to create a future-proof solution for supplying urban areas.
A true gain for concepts with measurable optimisation results
Every year, GS1 Germany’s ECR Award recognises projects that achieve significant efficiency and sustainability gains through collaborative partnerships along the supply chain. At the heart of it all is the idea of ECR (“Efficient Consumer Response”): joint action by industry and retail with the aim of providing consumers with faster, more cost-effective and at the same time more sustainable flows of goods.
Projects that are submitted for consideration are evaluated against a clearly defined catalogue of criteria that allows the jury to make an objective and comparable assessment. The optimisation of processes and costs as well as measurable sales growth and ecological and social sustainability are all influential here. The degree of implementation is also included in the assessment, in particular the question of whether the project has already been successfully implemented and is being rolled out across the board.
Honoured at the award ceremony in Bonn
The ECR Innovation Excellence Award ceremony took place on 29 September in Bonn and honoured outstanding projects that are actively shaping the future of the supply chain. Nagel-Group accepted the award together with its project partners B+S Logistik und Dienstleistungen, LEAFR, EatFresh and the Bünting Group.
Max Klostermann, Venture CEO of LEAFR, represented the project at the award ceremony. As the person responsible for the last mile, he was involved in the project right from the start and, together with the partners, explained the approach to a specialist trade audience and the jury.
“LEAFR focuses on a low-emission, digital and highly flexible solution for urban food logistics. The fact that we are sharing the stage with these partners shows how important sustainable delivery approaches are for the future of supply and how much we can achieve when we think together,” said Max Klostermann, Venture CEO LEAFR, at the award ceremony.
