ISO/IEC 22603-1:2021

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 22603-1
First edition
2021-09
Information technology —
Digital representation of product
information —
Part 1:
General requirements
Technologies de l'information — Représentation numérique de
l'information produit —
Partie 1: Exigences générales
Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2021
© ISO/IEC 2021
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Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Technical content . 2
4.1 Maintenance responsibility . 2
4.2 Access instructions . 2
4.3 Structure and content . 2
4.4 Website reference . 3
4.5 Access via machine-readable code . 3
© ISO/IEC 2021 – All rights reserved iii

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the
work.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for
the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives or www .iec .ch/ members
_experts/ refdocs).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent
rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the
Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents) or the IEC
list of patent declarations received (see patents.iec.ch).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www .iso .org/
iso/ foreword .html. In the IEC, see www .iec .ch/ understanding -standards.
This document was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 31, Automatic identification and data capture techniques.
A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 22603 series can be found on the ISO and IEC websites.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/ members .html and www .iec .ch/ national
-committees.
iv © ISO/IEC 2021 – All rights reserved

Introduction
ISO/IEC 22603 is a multi-part International Standard that establishes the requirements for electronic
product labelling. Electronic product labelling is an alternative to having a product’s compliance
markings and other product information used to communicate product conformance to stated national
standards and regulations on the product’s nameplate or product label. Electronic product labelling can
exist in combination with traditional physical product markings and statements.
Electronic product labelling can be applicable to any type of product.
Product markings and technical statements can communicate product conformance to national
standards and regulations. While many products are decreasing in physical size, mandatory
requirements for additional product compliance markings and documents are growing, in part because:
— regulators are increasing the required number of product markings and statements on products to
designate compliance with the mandatory product regulations;
— third party test or certification organizations are developing registered trademark symbols to be
affixed on products that they have tested/certified;
— product conformance to new standards and regulations on domains, such as “Environmental,” leads
to new categories of product marks and statements;
— a growing number of global regulators each with unique labelling requirements.
The physical limitations to accommodate the proliferation of printed compliance labels and information
cause confusion among regulators and end-users. An alternative method using an electronic system to
communicate product compliance information, used in conjunction with existing labelling practices or
as an alternative to them, allows the regulatory objectives to be achieved with better uniformity of
execution, clarity of language, greater flexibility and control.
Some expected benefits include:
— environmental gains from less reducing labelling material usage or wastage from label obsolescence;
— less visual clutter on the product by achieving improved aesthetics and clarity;
— facilitates faster end-user access to relevan
...