Shares of SMX (Security Matters) Public Limited Company, which trades under the ticker SMX, surged 23.21% to $6.07, gaining $1.14, as the company introduced the plastics application of its Digital Material Passport Platform. The stock recovered from intraday lows near $4.40 as buying momentum strengthened over the course of the session. The newly unveiled system connects plastic identification, digital records, material trading, and recycling credits through a single platform.

SMX develops digital material passport technology designed to give physical commodities embedded, verifiable identities. The plastics application announced by the company represents an expansion of that existing material tracking technology. The rollout addresses a well-documented gap in the plastics economy: according to the OECD, only about 9% of plastic waste worldwide is recycled, and recycled-content claims have often been difficult for downstream buyers to verify independently — a limitation the company's marking-based approach aims to close by tying claims to the material itself.

A Four-Layer Digital Passport Platform for Plastics

The system combines four connected components covering physical materials, digital passports, trading markets, and circularity credits. According to the company, the structure is designed to improve how businesses identify, verify, and manage recycled plastic.

The first layer applies molecular marking technology to assign plastic materials a persistent physical identity. This marking follows materials through manufacturing, collection, processing, recycling, and subsequent reuse, allowing businesses to track plastic across multiple production cycles without relying entirely on conventional documentation.

The second layer connects identified materials with digital passports containing verified information about their history. These records can include material origin, composition, recycled content, manufacturing details, and recycling activities. The passports are intended to serve as verifiable digital evidence accompanying the physical material throughout its lifecycle, supporting supply-chain transparency and sustainability reporting. The passport concept also aligns with a broader regulatory shift: the European Union's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation establishes a framework for Digital Product Passports, under which selected product categories will be required to carry structured, verifiable lifecycle data.

Recycled Plastic Trading and Circularity Credits

The third layer focuses on developing trading infrastructure for recycled plastics with verified material characteristics. SMX plans to support transactions using authenticated information on composition, origin, recycled content, and lifecycle history. The company says this approach could help buyers assess recycled materials through documented evidence rather than supplier claims alone. The verification-first model gains added relevance as regulators in major markets intensify scrutiny of unsubstantiated environmental claims.

The fourth layer ties verified recycling activities to potential Plastic Circularity Credits. Under the framework, credits would represent qualifying recycling or reuse outcomes supported by material identification and verification records. SMX intends to develop this infrastructure in accordance with applicable financial, regulatory, and exchange requirements.

The initiative also supports SMX's broader strategy of connecting physical commodities with digital assets. Under this model, recycled plastic could generate value through both material transactions and verified circularity outcomes. The company noted that commercial deployment and credit trading will depend on further development and relevant regulatory requirements.

Global Client Experience Program and Free Trials

The announcement builds on SMX's existing digital passport infrastructure and its recycled plastic economic strategy. The company has previously outlined scenarios in which recycled plastic could cost approximately $1,430 per ton, compared with virgin plastic prices near $1,840 — projections suggesting a potential cost advantage of 20% to 25% for recycled material. The figures were presented as part of the company's case for a new recycled plastics economy. Those projections land amid tightening regulation: the EU's packaging rules will require new plastic packaging to meet minimum recycled-content thresholds from 2030, raising the stakes for verified documentation of recycled content.

Alongside the platform unveiling, SMX announced a global client experience program to demonstrate the four-layer structure in practice. Participating companies can explore molecular marking, digital passport creation, authentication, and potential circularity credit generation. The company will also provide free trials that use participants' own plastic materials for marking and certification.

The program targets plastic producers, packaging manufacturers, consumer brands, retailers, recyclers, and waste management companies. Through these trials, SMX aims to demonstrate its technology across different stages of the plastics supply chain, extending its material verification strategy as SMX shares record strong daily gains. How many participants convert free trials into commercial deployments, and whether Plastic Circularity Credits can be developed within the applicable financial, regulatory, and exchange requirements, are the concrete milestones to watch as the platform moves from announcement toward adoption.