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LABELING

Return to Article: E-Labeling: A Global Reality

Not every product or market is appropriate for e-labeling. To protect itself in the face of risk, a manufacturer must evaluate each product that is a candidate for e-labeling and each market in which that product will be sold.

Oftentimes the question isn’t whether the technology can create the labeling—the answer is usually yes. Users must have appropriate technology and infrastructure to support the format. Support requirements might include

• Access to and understanding of software packages, such as those that enable the reading of PDF documents.
• Reliable, secure Internet access.
• Access to computer equipment with sufficient memory to open and review large, content-rich files.
• Printing capabilities that ensure that materials reach locations where computers or Internet connections are not available.
• Ability to contact and use technical support, via phone, e-mail, or other real-time methods.
• On-demand print capabilities to provide paper-based labeling for customers who request it.

These requirements, which are a given in advanced markets, may make e-labeling untenable in developing markets. After all, if the labeling isn’t accessible, viewable, sharable, or explicable, it cannot fulfill its purpose of making products safer and easier to use.