ISO technical specifications on "Label materials"

In 2016, ISO published an International Technical Specification (ISO/TS) titled ISO DTS 18614: Packaging – Label Material – Required information for ordering and specifying self-adhesive labels. Below more background information on the subject.

An important part of the Technical Specification is the checklist in standards appendix A for ordering and specifying self-adhesive labels. It was compiled by VskE in a combined workgroup with FINAT, users and adhesive bond manufacturers. The English version of this checklist, as well as Appendix C, is public and available free of charge from ISO at the following link: http://standards.iso.org/iso/18614.

History of the project

Via the Swedish Standards Institute (SIS), the two multinationals Ericson and IKEA submitted a standardisation proposal for the preparation of technical specifications for label materials. In a Europe-wide vote, supporters of the proposal achieved a majority in favour of launching the project. As a result, the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) set up the ISO/TC 122/WG 14 Label Materials workgroup. The declared aim was to convert this into an ISO standard following a transition period of three years.

DIN Mirror Taskforce: VskE and FINAT combine efforts

To align the aims of the project with the capabilities and already existing tools and best practices (and thereby, to avoid duplications and contradictions) VskE and FINAT joined the national mirror taskforce inside the German standards body DIN (Deutsche Institut für Normung). After verifying the actual background context, both organisations were of the opinion that with adequately trained personnel and/or standard knowledge of the materials, a standardisation project of this nature would be superfluous. Instead, it was recommended to focus on an update of existing checklists as a communication tool between customers and label suppliers. This approach was ultimately also embraced at ISO level by ISO/TC 122/WG 14 Label Materials.