Labels
Empower Label has a full complement of blank labels for all your containers, including a stock inventory of the most common sheeted labels for laser printers, sheeted, fanfolded and roll labels for inkjet printers, and roll labels for thermal transfer printers – we ship tens of millions annually! Labels ship from inventory the next business day and our labels are certified to international durability standards.
Empower Label designs, engineers and manufacturers blank label stock for printing your own safety compliance labels, in-house, on a wide range of digital, full-color tabletop label printers. We’re an authorized reseller of Epson, Afinia, NeuraLabel, Canon & Zebra printers.
Every element of the label is carefully designed to maximize its effectiveness in harsh environments, from industry-specific top coatings and face stocks, to exclusive pressure-sensitive adhesive coatings and coated liners. At Empower Label, we turn innovation into industry specific solutions!
Need a custom solution? We manufacture to your specifications; size, shape, and configuration, rolls or sheets, die-cut or continuous, for any container shape, size and type. The result? Our purpose-built labels set the standard for exceptional performance and reliability. Look to Empower for labels that you can depend on day-in and day-out.
Empower Label Durability Standards
Our label products need to work flawlessly over a broad spectrum of printers and label application equipment. They also must meet packaging durability and regulatory requirements for a host of chemical products including lubricants, paint and coatings, cleaning and household products and pharmaceuticals.
A critical component of any Empower durable label product is its ability to meet our rigorous test criteria, including:
- Ink/toner anchorage and durability
- Proper adhesion strength
- Resistance to water, alcohol, chemicals and UV exposure
- Durability (scratch, rub, tape)
Chemical Industrial labels need to meet even more rigid standards. Empower labels are tested and approved to meet GHS requirements for chemical packaging, primarily for use on drums, pails and totes. Empower provides labels that are tested to meet all applicable standards for durability and seawater submersion (OSHA HazCom, CLP, ANSI, DOT, BS5609).
- Standard: ANSI Z129.1, Test Criteria: Annex D – Durability/Readability
- Standard: BS5609, Test Criteria: 90 Day Seawater Submersion
- Standard: DOT, Test Criteria: 49 CFR Color Standard
- Standard: OSHA, Test Criteria: 29 CFR Durability Standard
- Standard: ACA, Test Criteria: HMIS UV Resistance Standard
Globally Harmonized System (GHS)
The Globally Harmonized System for the Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) is an international standard developed by the United Nations to create a unified approach to classifying chemical hazards and communicating those hazards through standardized labels and safety data sheets.
GHS provides consistent criteria for classifying chemicals according to their health, physical, and environmental hazards. It establishes standardized hazard communication elements including pictograms, signal words, hazard statements, and precautionary statements that can be understood globally
What’s the latest on GHS?
On February 5, 2021, OSHA issued a proposed rule to update the Hazard Communication standard to align the standard with GHS revision 7, and “provide better alignment with other U.S. agencies and international trading partners”. The revised rule became law on July 19, 2024.
The adoption of the new rule will require changes to SDS and labels, and establishes a transition period for different stakeholders to implement the various changes required by the updated standard.
This further illustrates the wisdom of printing hazcom labels on-demand to eliminate the risk associated with pre-printed labels becoming obsolete.
British Saltwater Immersion Test (BS5609)
British Standard BS 5609 is a specification for printed pressure-sensitive labels for marine use. Under the UN GHS and the IMDG Code, chemical manufacturers transporting dangerous goods on international waters are required to use labels able to withstand a three-month salt-water submersion test, UV resistance and meet durability criteria.
BS 5609-certified labels are proven to meet the most stringent tests for durability in the industry, and are described as an extremely durable label suitable for use in harsh environmental conditions. There are two key sections of the standard which reference permanence and durability of the BS 5609 label material and adhesive and abrasion resistance and permanence of the print on the label.
BS 5609 Section 2 – Label Performance
Section 2 tests for the permanence and durability of the BS 5609 label material and adhesive under conditions of marine exposure, temperature variations, weathering and exposure to salt spray and sunlight. Section 2 tests are conducted on blank adhesive-coated base material to determine the permanence and durability of the label material and adhesive.
BS 5609 Section 3 – Print Performance
Section 3 refers to the abrasion resistance and permanence of the print on the label. Testing includes exposure to artificial weathering (salt spray and sunlight), and tape removal and abrasion resistance (samples are rolled in a mixture of sand and artificial sea water). Only BS 5609 Section 2 approved materials can be used for BS 5609 Section 3 testing.