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Packaging touches everyone every day.
In the What's Up With Packaging podcast, we examine how packaging is changing and essential issues such as sustainability, legislation, compliance and more.
Welcome to What's Up with Packaging, where we explore everything packaging related. Today, we're diving into the growing trend of label less bottles for bottled water. I'm here with David Holiday, the forty second most visionary marketer in packaging.
Janice:How's it going, David?
David:Oh, hi, Janice. I'm good. Thank you.
Janice:You just made up that forty second most visionary thing, didn't you?
David:Right. Yes. Now you mention it. Yes. I did just make it up.
David:I confess. But what are we going to talk about today?
Janice:We are going to look at the trend of removing the labels from plastic bottles of water. It seems an odd thing to do, to be honest.
David:Yeah. Good topic. And it's certainly a trend that's happening at the moment, and it's all about sustainability.
Janice:Can removing the label really make a difference? It seems a trivial thing to me.
David:Labelless bottles are a response to the goal of more sustainable packaging. PET bottles are probably the most recycled material, but labels on the bottles, which are often made of non recyclable plastics like polypropylene, contaminate the PET recycling streams, making things difficult or even impossible. Removing them from the equation simplifies recycling and cuts waste, reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills. This labelless trend is being led by South Korea, which estimates that banning labels on water bottles could save up to 25,000,000 tons of plastic annually. So honestly, it's not really that trivial.
Janice:Here in The US, we don't seem to hear much about this idea other than from packaging nerds like you.
David:I'd say that's true. The United States isn't always at the front end of sustainability, I'm afraid. And with the current government and increasing beverage industry lobbying, I don't see a move to labelless bottles coming here anytime soon. South Korea, on the other hand, is looking to ban labels on water bottles from 2026. And switching to labelers bottles will also help brands comply with upcoming regulations in the European Union.
Janice:So with no label for branding and product information, how will I know what I'm buying? How do these label free designs work without sacrificing consumer info?
David:Well, there's a few things that can help with this. Firstly, brands that have started projects in this area have often customized the products by embossing their branding in the bottles or making the bottles a different shape to the standard PET water bottle. Some brands have even trialed including nutritional data in the molded bottle. Also, quite often, bottles of water are sold in multipacks, either trays or cartons. These can obviously still be printed with the usual product and marketing graphics.
David:If the packages are wrapped, the film or paper can be printed the same as it is now. You can also expect to see product info and graphics around the display areas in stores and on the shelves to help you know what it is you're buying.
Janice:I'm sure individual bottles will still be sold. Where does the barcode go when there is no label to print it on? What will happen at the checkout?
David:The solution that has been used for most of the current label as projects is to print a GS one digital ink barcode on the caps after the bottle has been filled and capped and before it enters the secondary packaging equipment. This can be printed using high speed inkjet printers and could possibly also be achieved with high speed UV laser coders as well. Using the digital link barcode allows the product to be scanned at checkout and also provides detailed product and recycling information to the consumer. So even if you buy just a single bottle, you'll still have access to all the information that you need.
Janice:You mentioned that some brands are doing this already. Do you have some examples?
David:Certainly. I couldn't list all of them, but here are some that I'm aware of today. Coca Cola and Evian, two large brands in the water business, have both been involved already. I know Coca Cola, for example, has been running trials in The UK for their Sprite product. Asahi Soft Drinks in Japan has been using labelless bottles since 2018.
David:And as you'd expect with a compliance deadline already in place, brands in South Korea such as JPDC, a leading bottler of volcanic mineral water, are using the concept already.
Janice:What do you think is the future of label less bottles? Is it going to be a concept we eventually see everywhere?
David:That's a great question. I started off rather skeptical about this. I've even written an article called the concept of label as PET bottles, a leap forward or dead on arrival? And to be honest, I was leaning towards dead on arrival. Since then, momentum for the idea has certainly increased, particularly with the situation in Korea and the fact that some large brands are running trials.
David:On the downside, with a lot of brands pushing back their sustainability commitments, you have to wonder if label less is a bit radical for many markets. And, of course, there isn't much consumer feedback as to the acceptance of this concept at the moment. But I would say I'm somewhat optimistic more than perhaps I was earlier.
Janice:Thank you for that. It will be really interesting to see how the label free rule in South Korea works out. If it's successful, we might see more countries and brands get on board. Hey. Thanks for listening, everyone.
Janice:We'll be back with another What's Up With Packaging soon.
David:Indeed. Thank you, everybody.