NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / March 24, 2026 / SMX (Security Matters) PLC (NASDAQ: SMX) is advancing a new economic model for plastics, leveraging blockchain and tokenization technology to help contain rising costs for everyday goods at a time when global conflict and energy volatility are driving prices higher. As war continues to disrupt oil and gas markets, the cost of producing virgin plastic-an essential input in food packaging, clothing, and consumer products-is increasing, placing sustained pressure on manufacturers and consumers alike.

SMX's approach reframes plastic not just as a material, but as a tracked, verified, and digitized asset.

At the core of this transformation is SMX's integration of molecular marking technology with a blockchain-enabled digital platform. Through its molecular marking capability, SMX embeds a permanent, invisible identifier into plastic materials, linking each batch to a secure, immutable digital record. This creates a system where every unit of plastic can be authenticated in real time-its origin, composition, and lifecycle fully traceable and verifiable.

This foundation enables the next step: tokenization.

SMX's Plastic Cycle Token (PCT) converts verified recycled plastic into a measurable, tradable digital asset. Each token is backed by real-world, authenticated material that has been tracked through production, use, and recycling. Unlike traditional environmental credits, which often rely on estimates or indirect reporting, PCT is grounded in direct, verifiable industrial activity.

This introduces a powerful new economic dynamic.

First, it reduces costs.

By digitizing and verifying recycled plastic at the material level, SMX eliminates the inefficiencies that have historically driven up recycling costs-such as fragmented verification systems, contamination risk, and inconsistent quality. Blockchain infrastructure ensures that data is secure, transparent, and instantly accessible, reducing administrative burdens, streamlining procurement, and lowering transaction costs across the supply chain.

Second, it creates value.

Through tokenization, recycled plastic is no longer just a substitute for virgin material-it becomes a financial instrument. Each verified recycling event can generate a corresponding digital asset, enabling companies to participate in a new market where material recovery is measurable, tradable, and monetizable. This creates an additional revenue stream tied directly to sustainability performance.

The combination is transformative.

In traditional systems, rising oil and gas prices-often exacerbated by geopolitical instability-translate directly into higher costs for virgin plastic, which are then passed on to consumers. SMX disrupts this model by enabling a parallel economy based on recycled materials that are both cost-efficient and value-generating.

As energy-driven inflation impacts everything from groceries to apparel, this shift becomes increasingly important.

Recycled plastic, once burdened by a "green premium," is becoming economically competitive-and in some cases, cheaper-than virgin alternatives. With SMX's blockchain-backed verification and tokenization, that advantage is amplified. Materials can be trusted without costly validation processes, and their value can be realized beyond their physical use.

For manufacturers, this means lower and more predictable input costs, improved supply chain resilience, and access to new financial upside. For consumers, it means the potential to stabilize-or even reduce-the price of everyday goods in an otherwise inflationary environment.

"Markets are moving from promises to proof," said SMX. "By combining physical material identity with blockchain infrastructure and tokenization, we are turning recycling into both a cost solution and a value creation engine. That changes the economics of the entire system."

As global markets continue to absorb the economic impact of conflict, energy disruption, and regulatory pressure, the ability to digitize, verify, and monetize materials is emerging as a critical advantage.

SMX positions itself at the forefront of this shift-where plastic is no longer just produced and consumed, but tracked, verified, and financially optimized.

The result is a new model for materials: one where recycling lowers costs, generates value, and helps protect consumers from the cascading effects of global volatility.

About SMX (Security Matters) PLC

SMX (NASDAQ: SMX) is a global technology company focused on digitizing physical materials to enable a more transparent, efficient, and sustainable circular economy. Through its proprietary molecular marking, tracking, and blockchain-integrated data platform, SMX creates persistent identities for materials and enables tokenization frameworks such as the Plastic Cycle Token, supporting applications across plastics, textiles, metals, and other critical industries.

Contact: Billy White/ billywhite@gmail.com

SOURCE: SMX (Security Matters)