De-labeled bottled water is successively launched in Japan and South Korea

What is de-labeled packaging? That is, the bottle body does not use plastic film or paper labels to print brand logos and product information. Instead, it uses in-mold embossing to form embossments, or laser marking.

In this way, the de-labeled bottles enter the recycling system, without removing the label, and can be recycled together with the bottle body, making recycling more efficient

Recently, major bottled water brands have launched de-labeled PET bottles, aiming to further realize the unity of packaging materials and avoid the difficulty of recycling PET bottles due to the difference between the label material and the bottle body material. Let's take a look at the creative packaging of unlabeled bottles launched by major brands.

Coca-Cola pushes unlabeled PET bottles again

Coca-Cola launched the first non-label PET bottle named "Coca-Cola Contour Label Free" in South Korea.

In order to distinguish the original flavor from Coca-Cola Zero, different cap colors are used. Coca-Cola also specially designed the bottle body into an iconic contour shape to help consumers easily recognize the Coca-Cola brand. This move aims to conform to the environmental protection requirements of South Korea, adapt to the industry's no-label trend, and eliminate labels on plastic bottles to improve the recyclability of plastic bottles.

So far, Coca-Cola’s soda brand sea gram’s, bottled water brands PyeongchangSoo and Vio Soonsoo, and beverage brand Toreta have launched unlabeled packaging in South Korea.

According to The Korea Herald, the largest English-language comprehensive newspaper in South Korea, Korean consumers are currently highly interested in and demanding non-labeled products. Statistics show that environmentally friendly unlabeled bottled water accounts for more than 14% of the total sales of bottled water in supermarkets.

Last year, Coca-Cola also launched a 100% unlabeled recycling bottle for its drinking water brand I LOHAS in the Japanese market.

100% rPET bottle from Feixue brand in Hong Kong, China

A few days ago, in Hong Kong, China, the unlabeled bottle launched by Swire Coca-Cola Hong Kong's Bonaqua (Bonaqua) is made of 100% recyclable rPET plastic.

The company said that the new bottle was inspired by the river. It is designed to provide higher recycling efficiency by simply eliminating label material. When designing the packaging, the company also borrowed from the sustainable development practices of Japan's Coca-Cola Company.

Bonaqua will cooperate Baguio Waste Management & Recycling Ltd, and Hong Kong Ferris wheel AIA Vitality Park for long-term recycling business. All the collected PET bottles will be shipped from Baguio to New Life Plastics Ltd, Hong Kong's first food-grade PET plastic recycling plant, which will start operations in the summer of 2021.

The drink is currently sold on multiple online platforms.

Evian's first unlabeled rPET bottle

Danone Evian mineral water brand launched the first unlabeled, 100% recyclable rPET bottle in Singapore. The bottle size is 400 ml.

The company said that the new bottle was inspired by the river. It is designed to provide higher recycling efficiency by simply eliminating label material. When designing the packaging, the company also borrowed from the sustainable development practices of Japan's Coca-Cola Company.

Bonaqua will cooperate Baguio Waste Management & Recycling Ltd, and Hong Kong Ferris wheel AIA Vitality Park for long-term recycling business. All the collected PET bottles will be shipped from Baguio to New Life Plastics Ltd, Hong Kong's first food-grade PET plastic recycling plant, which will start operations in the summer of 2021.

The drink is currently sold on multiple online platforms.

Evian's first unlabeled rPET bottle

Danone Evian mineral water brand launched the first unlabeled, 100% recyclable rPET bottle in Singapore. The bottle size is 400 ml.

Although unlabeled beverage bottles are somewhat monotonous, they look very transparent, and consumers can directly feel the freshness and cleanliness of the tea. It is said that after Suntory launched this bottled green tea, sales have increased by 50% over the same period.

So how does the unlabeled bottle reflect the brand and information?

After the launch of "unlabeled" bottled water, there were different opinions. Some people called it "creative", "environmentally friendly" and "easy to recycle". So, how exactly does unlabeled bottled water reflect the brand and label information? How to sell?

Take Evian's unlabeled bottle as an example. Its brand logo and basic label information (such as capacity, etc.) are embossed and engraved into the body of the plastic bottle in the mold.

Since the bottle does not have a product barcode, bottled water cannot be used in retail channels such as ordinary supermarkets and convenience stores, but it can be sold in a packaged manner, with product information and barcode printed on the outer packaging. Evian mainly promotes channels such as hotels, restaurants, and receptions. At the same time, Evian said that the new bottle is also suitable for e-commerce packaging that does not require barcode labels, which is also a sustainable solution.

Although this type of bottle is currently on the market in Japan and South Korea more, but with the advancement of global recycling measures and the introduction of more favorable policies, it is believed that more countries and regions will promote this type of bottle in the near future.