Designs Against Shoplifting Via Sustainable Packaging and Displays

ECR Foreword and Acknowledgements

Design against shoplifting is growing into a big business. To protect their profits, retailers spend billions on technologies, fixtures and packaging to deter those that might want to steal those products, while trying at the same time to make it easy for shoppers to buy the products directly from the shelf.

Increasingly, retailers are looking at these interventions, especially packaging, through the lens of sustainability. In this new collaboration with academia, we asked design students to take a new look at imaginative new ways to reduce theft from retail stores – to develop designs against shoplifting. In the report, we share eleven of the most highly rated designs.

These have been very well received, and we can imagine seeing adaptations of these design ideas in your stores in the future. But perhaps the most important outcomes of this project is firstly, the introduction of nine thief persona’s, each have different motivations to steal, and act in different ways, suggesting that knowing WHO you are trying to stop from stealing is going to help retailers discover more effective new anti-theft packaging and display ideas. The second is the recommendation to use crime scripts, if you know HOW the thief is stealing, retailers can start to better imagine new ways to find new ways to reduce theft.

On behalf of our members, I extend my thanks to the academic team and the students for their rigorous and practical work.

I would also like to thank the many retailers, brand owners and technology providers who contributed their time and insights to this project. Your input has shaped a report that is not only timely but actionable.

As with all the research undertaken on behalf of ECR Retail Loss, it would not be possible without the active support and involvement of the retail community, who generously gave their time to participate in the most meaningful of ways. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences–by working together we are much more likely to Sell More and Lose Less!

Finally, can I encourage you to not only read and share this study, but also take part in the work of ECR Retail Loss–further details can be found at: ecrloss.com.

John Fonteijn

Chair of ECR Retail Loss

Designs Against Shoplifting – An Introduction

Retail crime is no longer a background issue—it is a global crisis reshaping the high street. In the international context, Europe and the UK, its impact is enormous. In the year ending March 2025, shoplifting offences in England and Wales, for example, hit a two-decade high, increasing by about 20% on the previous year. Police recorded over 530,000 offences, while newspapers fuelled moral panics about violent shoplifters, and also so-called “middle-class thieves.” The British Retail Consortium (2024) estimated theft now costs retailers £1.8 billion annually, with over 8 million incidents of customer theft across a growing range of frequently stolen products (defined as “hot products” reported in the past year. Violence and abuse directed at retail staff has also surged with 1,300 incidents every day recorded across the sector (Usdaw, 2023). These figures not only represent new financial liabilities for retail but signal a wider social breakdown in how retail environments function—placing unsustainable pressure on businesses, employees, and communities alike.

Traditional responses to anti-shoplifting—security tags, CCTV, guards, video evidence—remain reactive, expensive and often adversarial, often creating unwelcoming spaces for customers and stressful conditions for staff (Hopkins, 2019). Locking away “hot products” also undermines trade, and Numerator (2024) reports show a strong correlation between securely locked merchandise and reduced sales, that indicates security can make shopping more difficult for legitimate customers as well as for thieves.

Store design choices can make theft harder, but the wider ecosystem matters too. As long as stolen goods can be easily resold, the incentive to steal remains. Our recent working group looked at how retailers can help tackle the illicit market that drives retail theft.

Meanwhile, the costs of inaction are spiralling. Shop closures in vulnerable areas, shrinking margins for small businesses, and fear-driven retail spaces are creating a landscape defined more by mistrust than open commerce. Persistent shoplifting undermines fair competition, erodes the relationship between businesses and customers, and sabotages democratic understandings about “fair play”.

This is why design against shoplifting matters. Students and staff of Central Saint Martins’ (CSM) BA Product and Industrial Design accepted ECR’s design challenge to attempt to reduce retail theft. To respond to the design brief (see pg. 2) they worked with retailers to understand existing security tools, the techniques perpetrators use and the “hot” items most frequently stolen.

Design Against Crime research staff visualised theft techniques and personas (see the Resources Section and Appendices), to make it easy for students to “get smart quick”. They also encouraged role-playing theft scenarios in collaboration with supporting retailers and engaged in walking retail space and talking to retail staff asking what they think could work. This hands-on engagement and also familiarity with established literature about shoplifters helped put “sideways thinking” into practice: using design-led approaches to explore sustainability while challenging blunt, punitive security measures. The biggest challenge was to address complex but related issues: finding new ways to enhance the retail experience without compromising security, legitimate shoppers or the planet.

The sustainable anti-shoplifting proposals showcased here were selected by retailers as the strongest entries in the 2025 ECR Design Challenge at Central Saint Martins. These designs reimagine fixtures and displays, packaging, spatial layouts, security devices and customer touchpoints in ways that integrate prevention with sustainable innovation, rather than retrospectively bolting on clunky deterrents to existing, otherwise vulnerable designs.

The prototypes are not abstract ideas. They point towards practical, scalable solutions that can help retailers large and small operate more securely, more sustainably and with less compromise. These design-led solutions also show that security and sustainability do not inevitably have to compete but could forge a new combined pathway. Of course, only after rigorous testing in real world scenarios has taken place, will the designs be able to help deliver and drive future resilient, profitable and people-centred retail design.

ECR Design Challenge Brief

Develop design proposals that address the following opportunities:

Opportunity 1: Innovative Product Protection including Packaging and PoS displays

How can the design of product protection and point-of-sale displays evolve to:

• Counteract current shoplifting techniques?
• Reduce waste and incorporate eco-friendly materials and technologies, helping Retail to lower its carbon footprint without negatively impacting sales?

Opportunity 2: Sustainability Meets Security

How can we apply sustainable materials and circular economy principles to:

• Improve product packaging and PoS displays?
• Simultaneously deter shoplifting while promoting sustainability?

Opportunity 3: Future of Product Security as a Service

How might we envision product security as a dynamic retail service, especially considering the ongoing “arms race” between crime and crime prevention? Given that secure solutions are often temporary, how can we design PoS displays to be:

• Adaptable and modifiable?
• Easy to repair, disassemble, and recycle?
• Fully aligned with circular economy principles?

Proposals should address these overarching goals:

• Prevent Theft: Develop designs that effectively reduce opportunities for theft across all retail areas.
• Minimize Waste: Innovate packaging and product security designs that cut down on material waste.
• Enhance Store Ambience: Avoid designing a “fortress” aesthetic, ensuring designs contribute to a pleasant shopping environment and enhance user experience.
• Promote Sustainability: Create solutions that integrate theft prevention with sustainable production and consumption practices.

Catalogue Overview

In June 2025, Central Saint Martins hosted the ECR Design Competition, developed in collaboration with third-year students from the BA (Hons) Product and Industrial Design course. The competition was structured as a formal “client” engagement project, meaning it was fully assessed and contributed directly to the students’ final degree outcomes.

This catalogue presents images and analysis of 11 selected designs out of a total of 22 produced for the project. These were identified by participating retailers—who provided direct feedback to the students—as speculative designs that, with real world tweaks, may deliver ideas with genuine potential for further exploration and dissemination. Collectively, the designs seek to advance both security and sustainability innovations within the retail environment, while also reimagining approaches to security in ways that are more customer-friendly and empathetic.

A dedicated ‘Resources’ section at the end of the catalogue is intended to encourage more designers and retail specialists to engage with the challenge of designing against shoplifting. It highlights methods and tools employed by the CSM students, including a selection of visual prompts representing likely shoplifter personas and illustrations of specific “perpetrator techniques”. Students also worked with established theoretical frameworks such as Situational Crime Prevention (SCP) and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). These were explored through tailored input from crime science specialist, Professor Paul Ekblom, who contributed to the project’s broader crime-prevention assessments, which we hope offers readers further entry points into the literature on crime prevention, security design and retail innovation.

*All project images in this section are from the BAPID students’ design portfolios

Reflect Points

Designed by Lucia Rattaj

 

Informed by behavioural psychology, Reflect Points uses mirrors and humorous messaging to reduce shoplifting of cosmetic products, particularly among teenage girls aged 14-16. Positioned near high-theft cosmetic products, the mirrors display witty, bold and relatable phrases written in subcultural youth vernacular that prompt self-awareness, challenge peer pressure, and encourage ethical choices without moralising (Figures 1 and 2).

Examples of Reflect Point messages are:

• Your rizz disappears when you’re caught, babe.
• Sigma doesn’t steal. Sigma builds.
• You’re worth more than a £6 concealer.
• Snatch your brows, not the products.
• Orange jumpsuits are not a vibe.
• Boss girls pay. Period.
• Skibidi behaviour detected.

These reflective encounters reframe the moment of temptation into one of self-recognition and empowerment.

In addition, QR codes found on Reflect Points connect to Loyalty apps (Figure 3), leading to deeper engagement by allowing shoppers to submit their own slogans and access small rewards or discounts. Here, honesty is turned into a socially valued act which supports pro-social content creation. By combining environmental design, humour and digital participation, Reflect Points transforms surveillance into dialogue, thereby reducing theft through empathy, cultural connection and positive reinforcement.

Figure 1: Reflect Points prototypes

Figure 2: Reflect Points prototype testing

Figure 3: Development of Reflect Points plug-in to retailer loyalty apps

 

Security Innovation

Social Resonance and Reflective Engagement

Teen shoplifting is often fuelled by social media trends and peer pressure. Rather than relying on punitive warnings or CCTV-heavy messaging, Reflect Points draws on the SCP techniques of alerting conscience and removing excuses; also removing crime precipitators such as prompts, permissions and pressures (see Resource 5). Mirrors positioned beside trending beauty products confront teenagers with both their reflection and culturally resonant phrases expressed in recognisable idioms. Here, humour and “sass” operate as a means to both relate and diffuse, offering a light-touch intervention that intends to disrupt the impulse to steal. By transforming deterrence into an opportunity for positive engagement and belonging, Reflect Points turns several drivers of theft—peer influence and online culture—into tools for pro-social reflection and brand loyalty.

Sustainability Innovation – Digital Extension, Less Material Reliance

Digital Extension, Less Material Reliance

By shifting part of the intervention into the digital sphere, Reflect Points minimises reliance on physical infrastructure. In addition, the use of basic mirrors with vinyl text reduces electronic waste of “smart-mirrors” and minimises the resources needed to install, update and maintain the Reflect Points. Whilst the use of smart mirrors would allow for quicker changes to the slogans, maintenance and installation costs would be potentially much higher, and less sustainable.

Figure 4: Example research documentation of interviews conducted at stores across London.

Figure 5: Testing and development of Reflect Point messaging with primary demographic.

 

 

Design Research Highlights

The designer of Reflect Points, Lucia Rattaj, iteratively developed the proposal’s unique messaging by learning from behavioural psychology, qualitative interviews and testing with teen shoppers and young women, also receiving expert-feedback from psychologists working with adolescents.

Rattaj developed a distinct persona of the amateur thief––in this context, a teen girl aged 14-16, who is “impressionable”, as a person influenced by social media trends, peer perception, and aesthetics (Figure 6). These girls are in a stage of self-discovery and are drawn to beauty products that reflect their identity, but some may also be tempted to shoplift. They are easily influenced and swayed by others, tend to be more susceptible to external stimuli and can be deeply affected by the experiences they encounter due to peer pressure, viral trends, or perceived low risk.

Behavioural psychology literature informing the design development includes:

The Dishonesty of Honest People: A Theory of Self-Concept Maintenance (Mazar, 2008), suggests that people want to see themselves as moral––they will act dishonestly only as far as it doesn’t threaten their self-image. Rattaj leverages this psychology with the mirrors and messaging. Teens are reminded of their self-image, encouraging them to choose ethical action. Small cues (like ethical slogans mirrors) can help align behaviour with their desire to be “a good person.”

The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone – Especially Ourselves (Arielly, 2012), shows that moral reminders (like signing a code of honour) are more effective in reducing dishonest behaviour than threats of punishment. Applied to Reflect Points, are phrases on the mirrors that serve as such reminders, helping teens reconsider shoplifting through assertion of internal values, not fear of consequence. For selected information about Rattaj’s process, specifically interviews, personas and messaging development, see Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7).

Figure 6: Persona development by Rattaj (the student designer).

Figure 7: Testing and development of Reflect Point messaging with primary demographic.

Uncanny

Designed by Heyi Lu

Uncanny Is an anti-theft system that integrates into existing store shelving units. The design applies subtle environmental cues – light and sound – to create the illusion of human presence in otherwise empty or unstaffed retail areas. Motion sensors along the aisle trigger soft, directional lighting that follows and illuminates a shopper’s lower body below the knees. The same lighting system has a second function: as some Uncanny lights track the shopper’s movements, other Uncanny lights randomly switch on aligned to shopping aisles and borders (Figure 1). Seeing these brief illuminations in their peripheral vision may lead shoppers (and thieves) to think staff or other shoppers are nearby. In addition, small audio speakers integrated into the shelves play low-level ambient sounds – footsteps, distant chatter, or the soft rustle of packaging – enhancing the feeling that someone else is nearby. For regular shoppers, these cues are unobtrusive, but for opportunistic offenders, they aim to trigger alertness to potential danger and perhaps also to catalyse pause for ethical reflection.

By avoiding harsh surveillance and focusing on psychological cues, Uncanny promotes behavioural change, reduces theft, and enhances safety, which supports a more sustainable, human-centred retail environment.

Figure 1: The Uncanny system would attach to the end of existing shelves.

Security Innovation

Embedded psychological cues and unpredictability in the store environment.

The design’s sideways approach to the SCP technique of alerting conscience (see Appendix A1 ) employs shifts in lighting and sound to create the impression of nearby presence rather than using overt warnings or CCTV-heavy interventions. The randomised play of shadows, footsteps and ambient noise introduces unpredictability, making opportunistic shoplifters second guess if they are being watched, disrupting their sense of comforting anonymity. This heightened alertness aims to deter theft without resorting to fortress-style techniques.

Sustainability Innovation

Low-Energy lighting

By using low-energy lighting and minimal infrastructure, the design avoids the material waste and intrusive hardware often associated with security systems. Its sustainable design shows how environmental cues can reinforce security aims while also reducing operational impact.

Figure 2: The Uncanny system attaches to the end of existing shelving units and is designed with motion sensing, light and audio
functions.

PickAware

Designed by Zeruo Wang

 

PickAware is a discreet, sensor-based anti-theft device that promotes self-awareness and ethical behaviour in retail spaces—particularly wine aisles. When a shopper lifts a bottle, the system detects the movement and plays a convivial sound such as the clink of glasses. This light-hearted audio cue signals awareness of the action without accusation, subtly reminding customers that their behaviour is visible. Designed as a sound bar that clips easily onto existing shelves, PickAware operates within a precise detection range, integrating into current store layouts (Figure 1 and 2). By transforming security into a moment of friendly acknowledgement rather than confrontation, it aims to reduce impulsive theft while maintaining a welcoming atmosphere. PickAware replaces lock-and-key deterrents with empathetic, experience-driven design, encouraging honesty through psychology and subtle environmental cues, blending functionality with empathy in retail security.

Figure 1: PickAware sensor and sound bar is positioned in front of wine bottles.

Figure 2: PickAware sensor and sound bar.

Security Innovation

Humour and Shared Awareness Through Sound Design

PickAware reframes responsive retail sound design. It links sound and movement and replaces harsh alerts with celebratory or humorous announcements, using sound as a means for engagement rather than an alarm. Deploying the SCP techniques of assisting natural surveillance and reducing anonymity (see Resource Section 5), the system punctures the illusion of invisibility that opportunistic shoplifters often rely on when they pick up objects they want to steal. By rendering behaviour visible (or audible) in a non-threatening way, the design increases perceived risk while sustaining a welcoming store atmosphere. Crucially, the system can be tuned to serve multiple purposes: announcing seasonal promotions, broadcasting holiday greetings, or reinforcing brand identity through sound. In this way, PickAware shows how sensory interventions can deter theft while also enriching the retail experience.

Sustainability Innovation

Dual Function, Minimal Hardware

The PickAware system can also be used to broadcast seasonal promotions, holiday greetings or brand messages, ensuring that security infrastructure serves multiple functions. This dual-purpose approach reduces the need for additional in-store hardware, lowering overall material and energy demand.

KeeperLink

Designed by Salma Mohamed Garana

KeeperLink is a novel locking mechanism that integrates with Checkpoint’s existing plastic alpha keeper cases that are already in use to protect “hot“ and high-value products, but now with significant improvements. The KeeperLink (Figure 1) is virtually tamperproof whilst allowing the keeper case to be automatically unlocked by customers at self-checkout, thus saving time and resources by allowing autonomous engagement without the need for staff intervention.

The novelty of the KeeperLink design lies in combining multiple security innovations into a single product upgrade:

1. KeeperLink resists a common offender technique of magnetic tampering. Whereas traditional alpha keeper locks can be quickly forced open with magnets, KeeperLink reverses this vulnerability so that any attempts to tamper with magnets only bolsters the locking mechanism. To achieve this, the KeeperLink lock is located inside the keeper case, and the design flips the keeper’s magnetic locking component (Figure 2). This means that if thieves use a magnet to tamper, the keeper will always remain locked. Also, by locating the KeeperLink lock on the inside of the keeper case, thieves cannot rip or smash off the lock – the design thwarts two common perpetrator techniques. This design may be advantageous compared to other viable competitors whose lock mechanism for keepers is exposed and vulnerable on the outside of the keeper case.
2. The KeeperLink utilises a motorised system that reuses the magnetic mechanism in existing alpha keepers but uniquely, is able to reverse this magnetic locking mechanism, in part, through the design of a motorised locking mechanism. When the KeeperLink receives a signal to unlock after successful payment at checkout, an internal linear actuator motor turns on, which moves a magnet into a position that releases the standard keeper case magnet––the process takes 3 seconds. The KeeperLink signals to the customer that the case is ready to unlock when a green indicator becomes visible in the window (Figure 3).
3. The KeeperLink system makes the security of keepers more robust by linking each unique keeper to a specific product in a secure database (Figure 5). When a customer’s payment is accepted, the POS back-end system sends a secure HTTPS command to the protected server. Then the EPS32 receiver inside the KeeperLink receives the message, which activates the internal KeeperLink motor (the linear actuator) and unlocks the case in 3 seconds. Furthermore, the design includes a KeeperLink app that by design, integrates with the existing Zebra device and software used by staff for restocking (Figure 6 & 7).

By the designer’s estimation, the cost of production of KeeperLink per unit would be £1.74 per unit which may be less than less than key competitors’ unit costs (Figure 8). This is an unofficial student estimate that would need to be verified in development.

Figure 1: From left to right: KeeperLink open (picture from barcode side); KeeperLink closed with red indicator signifying it’s locked.

Figure 2: Depiction of the KeeperLink retrofit. The exisiting alpha keeper magnet is flipped and reused in with the KeeperLink lock

Figure 3: KeeperLink internal mechanism and motor. The linear actuator motor moves a magnet (red) to unlock the magnetic latch, which is
also reused from the existing alpha keeper mechanism

Figure 4: System flow diagram depicting process for linking a product and KeeperLink, and locking and unlocking KeeperLinks .

Security Innovation

Retrofitting and Tamper Resistance

KeeperLink upgrades the existing plastic alpha keepers into a more secure and customer-friendly system. Its novelty lies in combining multiple innovations into a single upgrade. It resists a common offender technique of magnetic tampering. Whereas traditional keepers can be quickly forced open with magnets, KeeperLink reverses this vulnerability so that any attempts to tamper with magnets only bolsters the locking mechanism. This sideways rethinking of the SCP principles of increasing effort and controlling tools makes shoplifting attempts slower, riskier and less effective. Additionally, the system introduces customer friendly secure self-unlocking at checkout, triggered by digital signal at payment. This applies the SCP techniques of assisting compliance and reducing provocations (see Appendix Figure A.1), eliminating the delays and frustrations caused by staff-dependent unlocking.

Sustainability Innovation

Reuse and Efficiency

Rather than requiring replacement of entire inventories, KeeperLink is fully compatible with existing alpha keepers, enabling large-scale retrofitting. This avoids significant plastic waste, prolongs product life cycles and reduces manufacturing demand. Cost estimates per KeeperLink unit may be less due to its reuse and redesign of the magnetic locking mechanism. Lastly, by drastically cutting customer delays and staff involvement in alpha keeper interventions, the KeeperLink design makes both security and labour more resource efficient.

Figure 5: KeeperLink linking and locking process.

Figure 6: KeeperLink app that integrates with Zebra devices to link, lock and unlock KeeperLink cases.

Figure 7: KeeperLink cost estimation (estimation needs to be verified in production*).

 

Design Research Highlights

The designer, Salma Mohamed Garana, conducted an exceptionally comprehensive and iterative research and design develop process, leading to a feasible and viable design outcome with a high level of validation from key stakeholder and users. Examples of this include:

Interviews with Tesco staff to understand workflows and practices around security and restocking. Similarly, Garana, tested prototypes of the KeeperLink lock with Tesco staff, and received feedback about the KeeperLink app from the Store Manager at the Dayton Park Express store (Figure 8)

Figure 8: Prototype testing and feedback of KeeperLink with Tesco staff.

Aurora

Designed by Doha Kim

Aurora is a display system designed to improve both the security and user experience of perfume testers in retail environments. It aims to reduce theft of testers as well as perfume products in stores whilst allowing customers to test scents freely and intuitively. The design finds a balance between product protection and customer comfort enabling shoppers to use testers independently, without needing staff assistance. This creates a more relaxed, natural shopping experience. This design proposes a product protection solution that combines modular and adaptable displays that enhance brand experience with theft prevention and with repairability. It goes beyond traditional security measures offering a less restricting way to organise and experience testers, whilst securing the testers robustly.

Figure 1: The Aurora perfume display tower for tester bottles. Brands can create custom display elements, like these flowers, that attach to
the Aurora’s modular shelving components.

Figure 2: Robust and modular shelving units attach securely to the tower.

 

Security Innovation

Robust Towers and Brand Integration

Applying the SCP principles of target hardening, the design’s robust tower structure and bottle securing components make it significantly harder to remove testers, while still enabling shoppers to try fragrances independently. At the same time, the tower doubles as an advertising platform: bespoke branding panels around the display strengthen product identity and provide space for promotional storytelling. This integration of security with marketing elevates the retail environment, transforming what is often a friction point—locked or missing testers—into a branded touchpoint that builds both trust and customer engagement.

Figure 3: The modular shelving units can be placed in numerous different configurations to allow for a variety of branding and advertising options. The doors of the Aurora tower are locked so that thieves cannot access and unscrew the shelving component.

The Lift(er)-Proof Tag

Designed by Doris Xu

 

The Lifter-Proof Tag is a redesigned AM tag with perforated paper-based adhesive that prevents the tag from lifting off quickly and cleanly from the product packaging. The perforation pattern causes the adhesive to tear easily, leaving the security components of the tag secured on the package. Compared to traditional AM tags, the Lifter-roof tag replaces single-use plastic construction with paper-based materials like pulp allowing for composting and easier recycling of components like the metal components. In addition, a tag dispenser (Figure 1) has been designed for the Lifter-Proof Tag rolls, which improving the speed that staff can apply the tags. The dispenser can be operated with one hand and hooks onto the edge of the existing trolleys or baskets that staff use to restock shelves.

Figure 1: The Lifter-Proof Tag adhesive tape is designed with perforations that easily tear.

 

Security Innovation

Tamper Resistance and Resale Deterrence

Traditional AM security tags are often peeled off quickly and cleanly by shoplifters, neutralising alarms and leaving products intact for resale. The Lift(er)-Proof Tag addresses this by using perforated paper construction: when tampered with, the tag tears into fragments and leaves visible residue. The SCP techniques of increasing effort (making it harder to remove), denying benefits and increasing risk (discouraging resale makes removal slower, messier and more conspicuous) undermines the incentive for theft. By embedding resistance into the material itself, the design deters offenders without adding operational complexity for staff.

Sustainability Innovation

Paper-Based Construction

Instead of relying on PVC and multi-layered plastics, the Lift(er)-Proof Tag adopts paper-based materials inspired by Sensormatic’s AM tag innovation. Constructed from moulded pulp, card and paper-based adhesives, the design reduces reliance on single-use plastics and allows for easier disposal in mainstream waste streams. By replacing petroleum-based plastics with renewable fibres, the innovation contributes to a more circular material system while maintaining the performance required for retail security.

Figure 2: The Lifter-Proof Tag dispenser has been designed to integrate with the current ways that staff restock.

Honest Tag

Designed by Melia de Groot

Honest Tag approaches security labels from a broader perspective, going beyond the traditional focus on theft prevention to consider the entire ecosystem surrounding product protection, sustainability and environmental impact. Conventional AM tags are made from tightly bonded, multi-layered materials encased in plastic. Despite their compact size, billions of AM tags are used each year as single-use items, contributing to long-term environmental impact.Honest Tag has been designed with a FSC certified recycled cellulose pulp for the AM tag outer casing, replacing the typical single-use plastic casings that end up in landfill. Adding to the strength and durability of the tag is the specified Biobarc™ bio-based waterproof coating made from lignin (an organic polymer from plants). Honest Tag is also designed for disassembly, introducing a peel-to-reveal design that enables easy separation of components for recycling.Along with its sustainability credentials, Honest Tag innovates how AM tags are applied to packaging (Figure 2). The longer tag with its flexible joint allows for the Honest Tag to ideally be placed inside the packaging––under the top or bottom flap of the box––which typically is partially sealed by a sticker adhesive provided by the brand at the time of packaging. Regardless, Honest Tag can still be applied to the outside of packaging whether it’s boxes, tubes, containers, etc. However, by concealing the security components (i.e., the magnetic bias and metal resonator strip) of the AM tag under the packaging layer, those components become much more difficult to tamper with and remove without damaging the packaging.

Figure : Honest Tag’s design allows for easy placement of the tag under packaging lid without breaking the brand’s sticker seal.

Figure 2: Honest Tag design allows for easy application of the tag inside the packaging, which further protects the security components of the tags from tampering.

Security Innovation

Hidden Placement and Improved Tamper-proofing

Honest Tag enables AM tags to be applied in concealed or difficult-to-access areas of packaging. This makes illicit removal more complex and protects packaging integrity, reducing opportunities for illegal resale. Unlike conventional PET or PVC-based tags, Honest Tag maintains full security performance while integrating unobtrusively into product design. By combining concealment with a peel-to-reveal mechanism, it supports the SCP principle of increasing effort for thieves while reducing the visible presence of security measures, thus preserving the retail experience for honest customers. The concealed placement also makes it difficult to tamper with or damage the bias and magnetic strip components inside the AM tag without damaging the packaging itself, thus using the packaging as an additional protective barrier for the tag.

Sustainability Innovation

Design for Disassembly and Circular Materials

Honest Tag is designed for disassembly, in contrast to conventional AM tags. Its FSC-certified pulp casing, paper-based adhesives and lignin-based waterproof coating allow components to be easily separated at end-of-life, ensuring compatibility with recycling streams. This reduces reliance on single-use plastics and embeds security design into a circular economy. The design transforms a high-volume, short-lived product into a recyclable material system, supporting environmental responsibility (Figures 3 and 4).

Figure 3: Illustration of the Honest Tags more sustainable construction

Figure 4: Honest Tag product lifecycle.

The Only Exit

Designed by Yixi Ren

 

Luxury beauty products including premium facial and skin care products are among the most frequently stolen and financially damaging, often targeted through grab-and-run theft or concealment in clothing. To reduce losses, products are often highly sought after so locked away – which makes customers hesitant to request items to look at – or they are displayed in limited quantities. This places a lot of restocking pressure on staff and theft disrupts both workflow and the shopping experience.

Only Exit is a secure self-service cabinet that balances accessibility with effective theft reduction. Products are displayed in modular display boxes with a single, narrow outlet that physically limits access to one item at a time (Figure 2). This design naturally slows the act of removal, blocking quick-grab theft and discouraging multiple item theft. An infrared sensor placed at the only exit detects motion and immediately triggers a voice announcement, alerting the surrounding space and reminding the customer to proceed to the service desk for payment. By turning a discrete act into a publicly acknowledged moment, Only Exit creates psychological pressure through visibility and sound.

Figure 1: The Only Exit modular units allow are designed for repair

Figure 2: Products are slowly slid through the exit slot, which triggers an audible announcement.

 

Security Innovation

Controlled Access and Live Monitoring

The design limits grab-and-run theft by physically slowing down how items can be removed from shelves, allowing only one item to pass through a narrow outlet at a time. This simple restriction makes rapid sweep-theft impossible, applying a soft form of target hardening). The design also integrates motion sensors at the outlet, enabling live monitoring of products as they are taken. Audible alerts as the products are taken from the shelf, creates a moment of social visibility that reduces anonymity and makes theft attempts more noticeable, hence increasing deterrence.

Sustainability Innovation

Modular Construction for Repair and Longevity

Designed for repair, the modular construction of The Only Exit allows individual compartments to be replaced or maintained without removing the entire unit. This approach reduces material waste and extends the product’s lifespan through ease of maintenance. However, it should be noted that the design’s intent to slow the removal of items from the shelf, may also have the adverse effect of increasing the time it takes for staff to restock shelves.

Essence

Designed by Beth Williams

Essence is a secure perfume dispenser for tester bottles that augments the experience of trying on and assessing fragrances. Akin to a ticket machine, the shopper pulls a paper strip from the Essence dispenser which delivers a measured spray of perfume onto the paper. The dispenser case and strips provide legible and accessible pictographic information about the unique characteristics of the perfume (Figures 1 and 2). This experience does not rely on a shop assistant; it is therefore faster and less frustrating for shoppers, also offering a more interactive and informative touchpoint that guides them through the testing process, builds clarity and helps the shopper keep track of their favourite fragrances.

The Essence design pays attention to experience-design and accessibility while improving hygiene. It also provides a more robust anti-theft system. Installation of the device is quick and tool-free, requiring only minor adjustments to current shelf fittings. Uniquely, the Essence design requires a larger 500ml refillable tester bottle that meets standardised guidelines (like bottle height). The larger bottle provides both a new branding and advertising touchpoint while reducing workload for staff (i.e., need to refill less). The modular design ensures compatibility across a variety of store layouts and shelving types, allowing for flexible positioning and scalability.

Figure 1: Essence dispenser with fragrance pictograms specific to each perfume. The paper strips could also incorporate branding.

Figure 2: Essence dispenser.

Security Innovation

Controlled Access, Enhanced Experience

Instead of leaving testers out as exposed and vulnerable targets of theft, this design offers a secure dispensing system that delivers measured sprays onto blotting paper. The tester dispenser design introduces a layer of target hardening (see Resource 5). Shoppers can test freely and learn more about fragrances, thus improving experience, whilst retailers do not risk losing the tester bottle. Importantly, security here does not diminish the sensory journey: the dispensing mechanism and blotting paper guide customers through fragrance notes and help them make more informed choices. In this way, the design demonstrates how anti-theft measures and user experience can reinforce one another, shifting perfume sampling from a point of frustration and possible theft to an intuitive, informative and secure interaction.

Sustainability Innovation

Standardisation and Efficiency

Less theft of perfume tester bottles. By standardising and fixing the larger 500ml tester bottles, the design reduces the frequency of refills, lowering both staff workload and material waste. This approach cuts down the number of small tester units produced, transported and discarded, offering a more resource-efficient and sustainable model for fragrance retail. Lastly, using a larger tester bottle potentially provides new, bigger touchpoints for brands to advertise and create brand or perfume identity (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Physical prototypes and digital renders to test function, materials and aesthetics

 

Boobytrap

Designed by Luca Taverner

The Boobytrap packaging is designed to deter resale of retail theft by increasing the risks associated with tampering. The packaging is designed to tear and deform when an EAS-style security tag is removed improperly (Figure 1). Boobytrap packaging explores how brand packaging can play a more integrated part of anti-theft strategy, raising the effort for thieves while lowering incentives for resale by compromising the packaging aesthetic and structural integrity upon tampering.

Figure 1: The objective of Boobytrap packaging is to more severely damage the packaging when products are hastilly grabbed from shelves or when security tags are illegally removed thieves. Boobytrap packaging was designed for shaving razors and razor blades.

 

Security Innovation

Designed Destruction to Discourage Quick Theft

The design reframes packaging as an active part of loss prevention. Rather than merely protecting and advertising a product, the packaging is engineered to be fragile in the right way when tampered with so that illicit removal visibly damages the item and undermines its resale value. Perforations, strategic tear-lines and an integrated tag-slot mean that attempts to remove security tags or rip products from pegs or retail displays are likely to shred or deform the packaging, leaving tell-tale evidence and reducing the commodity’s attractiveness to secondary markets (Figure 2). This is a sideways application of the SCP techniques, notably denying benefits (i.e., discouraging resale) and increasing risk, because it shifts the offender’s cost–benefit calculation: a quick grab now produces a damaged, unsellable product rather than an easy profit. By integrating tag design with packaging geometry, such that removing one damages the other, the result is a low-tech, scalable deterrent.

Figure 2: The Bobbytrap security strategy locates preforations on the packaging that integrate with EAS security tags such that improperly removing tags damages the packaging along the performations.

Torture

Designed by Han Hu

A physical anti-theft locking device for bottled and canned beverages that integrates the idea of reducing theft by making it difficult to remove tags without actually “spoiling” the goods. The design features a tamper-proof structure that securely seals the bottle opening and activates a hidden injection mechanism if forced open. Once triggered, a sharp needle pierces the cap and releases a visible and harmless marking liquid (such as food dye) that contaminates the beverage rendering it unsellable or too off-putting to consume. This irreversible contamination prevents resale and acts as a strong discouragement to theft of food products, in the way ink tags work to deter the theft of clothing but without such toxic effects. By combining functional discouragement with psychological barriers, this anti-theft product tag aims to improve security on food items that are frequently stolen by booby trapping thieves, while preserving a smooth, respectful shopping experience for honest customers.

Figure 1: The “Torture” security device that clamps onto wine bottles. Inside is contained a puncturing device that engages when the device is improperly removed.

Security Innovation

Denying Benefits in Food Retail

Torture speculatively explores a provocative crime prevention strategy known as “spoiling”: if tags protecting products are tampered with, they sabotage the goods, so stolen items are rendered worthless to the offender. Rather than raising risks of detection, the concept deploys the SCP technique of denying benefits, ensuring that theft produces no usable or re-sellable reward. In supermarkets, where high-value consumables such as steaks, cheeses and premium cuts are increasingly targeted for resale, but where ink tags would be inappropriate, the spoiling principle could be applied by integrating mechanisms and food dyes that visibly and irreversibly spoil the product if tampering occurs; also, without being overly toxic to staff. For example, strongly coloured dye interventions could stain food items, making them unsellable on illicit markets and undesirable for personal use, but not harmful to employees handling these items.

The power of this approach lies not in undermining the economics of theft. If thieves know that tampering risks destroying the very goods they seek, the motivation to steal diminishes. As a sideways application of denying benefits, this design reframes security as the strategic removal of reward, challenging offenders’ cost–benefit calculations and disrupting the viability of food theft in resale-driven markets.

AFTERWORD

Speculative design innovation should not remain in the studio. The design concepts and novel ideas presented in this catalogue aim to visualise new forms of crime prevention but urgently need to be tested in real-world contexts. We recognise all designs shown will change once piloted in live retail environments where they can be adapted to local conditions and where their impact and contribution to sustainability can be measured, refined and scaled. Yes, this will take time and money but without this kind of speculative design experimentation, the sector risks remaining locked into using tools that are unable to adequately address a cycle of rising crime, rising costs, and declining resilience. With more design experimentation based on strong crime prevention evidence, there is a genuine chance to develop new strategies that reduce losses, protect staff, and preserve customer experience—without surrendering retail space to fear and hostility.

About the Design Against Crime Research Lab (DAC)

Design Against Crime is a practice-led design research initiative that emerged at Central Saint Martins in 1999 to address to abusers and misusers when deliver user-centred design. It is based on the understanding that design thinking, as well as design practice, can and should address security issues without compromising functionality and other aspects of performance, or aesthetics; overall that secure design should not look criminal or make legitimate users feel penalised. https://www.arts.ac.uk/colleges/central-saint-martins/research-at-csm/design-against-crime

For further information:

Contact: ;

About BA (Hons) Product and Industrial Design

BA (Hons) Product and Industrial Design is a Queens Anniversary Prize-winning undergraduate course recognised for its outward-looking disposition and the creativity and employability of its graduates. As part of the Product, Ceramic and Industrial Design programme, it’s committed to an ethos of creative ambition, collaboration and making through design as a practice that transforms.

Contact: j.doruff@csm.arts.ac.uk; pcidadmin@csm.arts.ac.uk

RESOURCES

Resource 1: Publications from Criminology and the Design Against Crime Research Lab

Advice on using the Design Against Crime Methodology

There are many accounts of how to Design Against Crime, extending the user paradigm to anticipate abuse and misuse. Publications from criminology and the Design Against Crime Research Lab have discussed this in detail and include:

• 25 Techniques of Situational Crime Prevention 25 Techniques | ASU Center for Problem-Oriented Policing (accessed 13-10-25).
• Bowers, K and, Guerette, R (2014). ‘Effectiveness of Situational Crime Prevention.’ In G. Bruinsma and D. Weisburd (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. New York: Springer.
• Clarke, R. (1999). Hot Products: Understanding, Anticipating and Reducing Demand for Stolen Goods. Police Research Series Paper 112. London: Home Office.
• Crimeframeworks website design and innovation pages (accessed 13-10-25)
• Doruff J & Gamman L (2024) “Over twenty years of Open Innovation with Design Against Crime” – download here:
• Ekblom, P. ed., 2012. Design against crime: Crime proofing everyday products. Lynne Rienner Publishers.
• Ekblom, P. (2012). ‘Introduction’; ‘The Security Function Framework’; and ‘Conclusion’ in P. Ekblom (Ed.), Design Against Crime: Crime Proofing Everyday Objects. Crime Prevention Studies 27. Boulder, Col.: Lynne Rienner.
• Ekblom, P. (2014b). ‘Design and security‘ in M. Gill (Ed.) The Handbook of Security (2nd Edn), 133-156. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.
• Ekblom, P. (2017). ‘Crime, situational prevention and technology – the nature of opportunity and how it evolves’. In M. McGuire and T. Holt (Eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Technology, Crime and Justice. Milton Park: Routledge, 353-374.
• Ekblom, P. (2017). ‘Designing products against crime’ in R. Wortley and M. Townsley (Eds.), Environmental Criminology and Crime Analysis, 2nd Edition. London: Taylor and Francis.
• Ekblom, P. and Pease, K. (2014). ‘Innovation and Crime Prevention’ in Bruinsma, G. and Weisburd, D. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. New York: Springer Science+Business Media.
• Freilich, J. and Newman, G. (2017). ‘Situational crime prevention’. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Oxford University Press.
• Gamman L & Thorpe “A ‘Design Against Crime – What is “Socially Responsive Design and Innovation”?, 2015) In: Fisher, F. and Sparke, P. (Eds.) Routledge Companion to Design Studies. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
• Gamman L & Thorpe A “Is Nudge as good as We Think in Designing Against crime? Contrasting Paternalistic and Fraternalistic Approaches to Design for Behaviour Change”, 2018 pp 216–234. In: Kristina Niedderer, Stephen Clune, Geke Ludden (Eds) Design for Behaviour Change: Theories and practices of designing for change (Design for Social Responsibility).
• Pease, K. (2003). Cracking Crime through Design. London: Design Council.
• Wootton, A. and Davey, C. (2012). ‘Embedding crime prevention within design.’ in P. Ekblom (Ed.), Design Against Crime: Crime Proofing Everyday Objects. Crime Prevention Studies 27 Boulder, Col.: Lynne Rienner.
• Wortley, R. (2017). ‘Situational precipitators of crime.’ In R. Wortley and M. Townsley (Eds.) Environmental Criminology and Crime Analysis (2nd Edn.). London: Routledge.
• Wortley, R., Sidebottom, A., Tilley, N., and Laycock, G. (2019). ‘What is crime science?’ In R. Wortley, A. Sidebottom, N. Tilley, and G. Laycock (Eds.), The Handbook of Crime Science. London: Routledge.

These publications also discuss mixed method approaches and offer useful case studies of successful design against crime projects, that often apply theories from Situational Crime Prevention (see Resources, Section 5) below and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.

There are many academic papers on the best methodological approaches in this field but in our view is that the practical guide for designers from the Design Council and their Double Diamond process is a very useful first place to start. See:

• Design Council. A designers’ guide to designing out crime
• See also: Design Council: Double Diamond Framework for Innovation:
• Older Design Against Crime case studies from Design Council: and

Resource 2: Frameworks

A number of strategic crime frameworks have significantly been created by Prof. Paul Ekblom to help designers bring systemic and critical rigour to the design process, and to aid critical thinking through crime problems. See:

• Material specifically on design and innovation at
• List of crime frameworks at .
• An introduction to the crime frameworks in a retail context is available at .

Resource 3: Personas of Shoplifters

To help students think through the “wicked” (Kolko, 2012) and complex societal challenges like shoplifting, we provided students with lots of contextual information plus visual prompts about different types of shoplifters (personas) and the different ways thieves steal items (perpetrator techniques). We cannot reproduce all materials but descriptions and images below, are some of those,used to brief students about how to design against shoplifting.

 

Resource 4: Perpetrator Techniques

Perpetrator Technique: Magic bag

Perpetrator Technique: Magic bag switch – oysters

Perpetrator Technique: Label swapping

Perpetrator Technique: Package popping

Perpetrator Technique: Hiding in the light

Perpetrator Technique: Barcode switching

Resource 5: 25 Situational Crime Prevention Techniques

Design Research and Report by

Design Against Crime Research Lab & BA (Hons) Product and Industrial Design. Project in collaboration with participating retail specialist advisors from: Boots, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Next, Sainsbury’s, Checkpoint, L’Oréal, Procter & Gamble and Redbull.

Design Research Team

Jeffrey Doruff, Prof. Lorraine Gamman, Prof. Paul Ekbom & Adrian Allen

Teaching Team

As above but also with additional support from designers,

Kieran Jones, Peter Booth and Adam Thorpe

Students

BA (Hons) Product and Industrial Design students featured in this report: include Melia de Groot, Salma Mohamed Garana, Han Hu, Doha Kim, Heyi Lu, Lucia Rattaj, Yixi Ren, Luca Taverner, Zeruo Wang and Doris Xu

Disclaimer

This report and student project has been supported by research funding from ECR Retail Loss. The document is intended for general information only and builds upon the findings of a qualitative survey of industry experts and an extensive literature review. Companies or individuals following any actions described herein do so entirely at their own risk and are advised to take professional advice regarding their specific needs and contextual requirements prior to taking any actions resulting from anything contained in this report. Companies are responsible for assuring themselves that they comply with all relevant laws and regulations including those relating to intellectual property rights, data protection and competition laws or regulations.

The images used in this document are generated by undergraduate students and do not necessarily reflect the companies taking part in this research.

© January 2026 all rights reserved