Industrial labels play a vital role in the efficient performance and transfer of numerous goods. They must hit the mark for durability and complexity while also adhering to a wide range of regulations.

In order to deal with the most challenging applications, Avery Dennison has invested a multitude of resources in this market. For Avery Dennison, its labels must endure extreme conditions like UV exposure, chemicals, and abrasion. Meanwhile, they must maintain adhesion and legibility throughout the product’s lifespan.

“Meeting stringent standards like UL 969, ensuring multilingual content, and incorporating variable data (such as barcodes and QR codes) add complexity and cost to the process,” explains Michael Welch, senior product manager, Durables, Avery Dennison. “We must also ensure labels adhere securely to diverse surfaces, such as those that are rough, oily, or curved, and remain intact under environmental stress. This is a critical challenge.”

Avery Dennison creates solutions to these challenges in multiple ways, too. For starters, the company leverages UL-recognized files like Avery Dennison’s Customer-Ready Durables Portfolio (CRP). This helps streamline the approval process, reducing costs by up to 75%, and cutting testing times from 12 weeks to as little as two weeks.

“Our materials are pre-tested for durability, legibility, adhesion, and resistance to environmental factors, ensuring compliance with UL 969 standards and eliminating the risk of failure,” says Welch. “With a portfolio covering most durable applications, we reduce complexity, minimize waste, and accelerate speed to market, allowing converters to confidently deliver certified materials to end users.”

Industrial trends

According to Avery Dennison, the market is seeing a few key trends associated with industrial labels. Durable PET materials and simplified UL compliance are among the most popular.

“The use of PET is a leading trend due to its exceptional durability in harsh indoor and outdoor conditions,” remarks Welch. “It is widely used across industrial applications and is included in UL/c–UL-recognized portfolios, ensuring compliance with stringent durability and safety standards. Meanwhile, materials like PET in UL/c–UL-recognized portfolios streamline the approval process, reducing time and costs, and accelerate speed to market.”

Avery Dennison is meeting these trends in a variety of ways. Avery Dennison’s Customer-Ready Durables Portfolio simplifies the UL approval process and covers over 70% of durable applications.

“By adopting materials within our file (Category PGJI / File Number MH 17205), converters can reduce costs by up to 75% and eliminate lengthy testing periods,” states Welch.

Plus, the Global Client Service Laboratory features materials and tools needed to conduct testing equivalent to what is done in UL’s own laboratories. The testing supports UL standard 969 and CSA standard 22.2 no. 0.15 for nameplates and safety labels. Meanwhile, operators can conduct these tests on many substrates, inks and ribbons considered in the manufacturing of the label. Labels are commonly tested for: weathering, legibility, defacement, chemical exposure, water/humidity exposure, aging stability, adhesion, and abrasion.

“Once testing has been completed, Avery Dennison will provide UL with a data sheet ready package of results for the materials tested,” says Welch. “All data submitted is thoroughly reviewed and audited by UL before being issued recognition.”

Creating a partnership

Avery Dennison works with customers to achieve UL compliance by offering a pre-approved file, which bypasses full testing for every new application. The company also prioritizes collaboration. Avery Dennison provides label converters with ready-to-use solutions that save time, money, and effort. Plus, the company offers precise estimating and lower total applied costs through the EXACT service program. This service reduces scrap, eliminates trim costs, and ensures just-in-time inventory. 

Collaboration has also helped shape Avery Dennison’s R&D efforts. The company’s newest products meet demand for its customers differing needs in this space.

“While 2026 will be an exciting year for us, recently we have been focusing on adhesive changes for some of our focused industrial adhesives,” states Welch. “To our continued sustainability goal, our S6600 adhesive is now moving to APEO free S6650. S4600, designed for chemical drum and other industrial applications, is in the process of migrating to S4650. This will offer better low surface energy performance on plastic drums, along with improved low temperature service and application temperatures.”