The Label-less Revolution

Variable data codes on bottle closures can provide a link to all the data usually required on product labels – and much more. Image courtesy of Domino Printing Sciences

Rethinking Product Marking for Beverage Brands

By Russell Wiseman, Head of Global Beverage Solutions, Domino Printing Sciences

Beverage brands are under constant pressure to reduce waste and improve the recyclability of their product packaging. Today, many global brands have taken steps to lightweight packaging, switch to easily recycled mono materials, and remove colors and additives — all in a bid to increase recyclability.

But what if a vital part of the product packaging causes recycling issues? Such is often the case with external labels or shrink sleeves on beverage containers, which stand as the ultimate beverage marketing material, help brands to communicate with consumers, and provide crucial product information — but can pose significant recycling challenges.

Will bare bottles on shelves be the new norm? Or is removing labels from bottles too risky? In this article, we will look at the growing trend of labelless bottles and highlight the options available for brands looking to explore label-free packaging.

The Rise of the Labelless Bottle

The trend for labelless bottles is being explored with interest in the beverage industry as governments worldwide explore projects to increase recycling rates and improve the quality of recycled materials.

The labelless trend is particularly evident within the PET beverage bottle market, where many prominent brands have explored the possibility of labelless PET bottles. In January 2024, Coca-Cola temporarily removed the labels from bottles of Sprite as part of a short UK trial, while in 2020, Evian launched a 400ml, fully recycled labelless bottle for use in French hotels, restaurants, and hospitality firms.

We are also seeing some movement within other beverage applications, including the alcoholic beverages market, where glass bottles have long been the go-to option due to their ability to preserve the taste and quality of the product. In 2023, Fourth Wave Wine launched its new, sustainability-focused brand, Crate, using transition glass — waste glass created when manufacturers change their tanks from one color to another — and sold labelless exclusively in six-bottle cases.

Domino’s Bottle Closure Printing Station, developed to print variable data and machine-readable codes, including QR codes, onto HDPE bottle caps and closures. Image courtesy of Domino Printing Sciences

The Labelless Dilemma

The use of external labels on both PET and glass beverage bottles increases the use of materials — including labels, adhesives, and coatings — and, by extension, overall energy use. In addition, labels themselves are often not recyclable, and if not properly removed before items are recycled, can cause issues at recycling facilities, contributing to an increase in the quantity of recyclate being sent to landfill:

• For PET bottles, labels may be made from plastics other than PET – including polyethylene or polypropylene. As many recycling facilities use machine optics to identify different materials, using alternative plastic labels can cause PET bottles to be incorrectly identified.
• In the glass beverage market, opaque labels can cause glass shards to be rejected during the sorting process. Worse still, clear plastic film labels can stay undetected during the sorting process, resulting in transparent label material remaining in the recycling stream and compromising the quality of the recycled glass.

By comparison, removing labels can simplify the recycling process, reduce energy, and help to increase recycling rates, promoting a cleaner, more efficient recycling stream — while reducing initial waste from excess labels. For example, The Korea Times recently reported that the Ministry of Environment of the Government of South Korea estimates that removing all labels from plastic water bottles could save the country 24.6 million tonnes of plastic waste per year from the reduction in labels alone.

In fact, South Korea recently became the first country to take an official stance on labelless PET bottles, with the Ministry of Environment launching new legislation which will prohibit the use of external labels on bottled water starting in January 2026.

However, despite the obvious sustainability benefits, labelless bottles present challenges for brands — not least that of ensuring that an item can adhere to regulatory labeling requirements, provide pertinent product information, and contribute beneficially to a brand’s marketing strategy.

Managing Labeling Requirements for Labelless Bottles

In labelless applications, laser coders can be used to add product data onto the body of bottles without harming the recyclability of the product. Image courtesy of Domino Printing Sciences

For multipack bottles, it may be possible to include product labeling as part of the secondary packaging, removing the need for printing and labels on individual bottles. Bottles sold individually, however, will undoubtedly require new and innovative methods of providing product branding and compulsory on-product labeling.

There are a range of options available for brands:

Blow molding: A key concern for brands exploring labelless bottles will be how to manage branding to ensure that products and packaging are easily recognized and in keeping with brand identity. One option explored with interest in the PET beverage market is incorporating branded shapes and logos into the bottle design via blow molding.

Example: Evian’s labelless water bottles feature the brand’s famous logo, embossed on the side of bottles in place of a removable plastic label.

Direct marking on bottles: Laser coders can be used to add product data such as nutritional information, composition data, batch codes, barcodes, recycling logos, and other graphics and text onto the body of PET and glass bottles without harming the recyclability of the product.

Example: Coca-Cola’s ‘naked’ Sprite bottle features an embossed Sprite logo on the front of the pack and laser-engraved product information on the back.

Printing on bottle caps: Brands can also choose to print directly on bottle caps, closures, and wine bottle capsules. Despite their small size, caps and closures are typically well-suited for simple product branding and logos and can also accommodate machine-readable codes, including scannable QR codes.

Example: Fourth Wave Wine’s ‘Crate’ wine brand conveys all necessary product information on the metal capsule at the top of the bottle, which also features a scannable QR code.

The Rise of 2D Codes on Labelless Packaging

Two-dimensional codes, such as QR codes, present an exciting opportunity for brands looking to explore labelless packaging — or brands looking to make more efficient use of on-product label space.

QR codes can hold a huge amount of data, allowing brands to provide a link to all the data usually required on product labels while taking up a fraction of the space. For labelless applications, QR codes can be applied to bottle caps, closures, and capsules, as in the examples above, or embossed directly on bottles using a laser coder.

The global retail industry is currently at the beginning of a transition to move away from traditional linear barcodes on product packaging to standardized QR codes powered by GS1 at the point of sale. So, there has never been a better time to start exploring the technology.

In addition, with QR codes on labelless bottles, brands can embrace the additional data capabilities to provide far more than just regulated labeling information, including:

• Product description and serving suggestions
• Packaging composition and end-of-life information
• Manufacturer details and contact information
• Certifications and regulatory information, including sustainability credentials

As an additional step, brands can look to implement variable data QR codes — unique to the individual batch or item level — to share a wide array of information with almost no data limitation. With this technology, brands can provide access to diverse information, including information on product lifecycle, sustainability, and supply chain transparency, allowing consumers to make more informed choices aligned with their values.

Conclusion

Labelless bottles are an exciting new trend in the beverage industry — and while legislation prohibiting the use of external labels is currently restricted to only PET water bottles in certain Asian markets, it could be just a matter of time before other regions and product types follow suit.

Beverage brands looking to explore the trend for labelless bottles due to regulatory requirements or as a reflection of their sustainability commitments should start to research their product marking options now, with functionality and branding in mind, to win a competitive advantage.

About the Author

Domino’s Head of Global Beverage Solutions, Russell Wiseman, understands the unique requirements of both original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and multi-national corporations involved in the beverage industry and can support the development of applications to meet new industry regulations. Learn more at www.domino-printing.com.