Packaging Feels the Heat Too as Beverage Bottles Go "Label-Free

Packaging is also caught up in involution, as beverage bottles pursue "label-free"

International Information Packaging Network

When we buy beverages, at a glance the shelves are full of all kinds of eye-catching packaging. However, recently, the labels of some beverages have been "torn" off, leaving only bare bottles. In March this year, Master Kong launched a label-free

bottle packaging that practices the low-carbon concept, "tearing" off the packaging of its iced tea, and is the first company in China to "take the plunge".

The so-called "label-free" means removing the label from the bottle body, and instead printing the complete product information on the outer carton, leaving only simple information such as the product name and shelf life on the bottle body.

Why remove the label?

It is understood that most beverage bottles on the market are recyclable

bottles, but the labels used are made of

material. This material cannot decompose naturally, and the recycling technology is not yet mature, which leads to a relatively low recycling value. Some industry insiders say that in the

process of bottle recycling, if

materials are mixed in, then other materials will be contaminated, affecting the quality of recycled plastic. Therefore, removing the

label can, to a certain extent, improve the recycling rate of the bottle body.

In addition, under the background of China's "dual carbon" policy, in order to actively respond to the concept of "sustainable development" and conform to the new era's concept of healthy and environmentally friendly consumption, some merchants have chosen to "tear" off the labels while ensuring quality.

After beverage bottles are de-labeled, are consumers willing to pay for it?

As for label-free beverages, consumers mostly hold two different attitudes. Some consumers believe that label-free, to a certain extent, breaks the shackles of traditional thinking, and while being novel, it also meets the needs of environmental protection in current society; others believe that label-free beverages make it impossible for people to quickly identify key product information, providing more convenient space for counterfeit and inferior products to fake, which is a big hidden danger in food safety.

However, Article 67 of China's Food Safety Law stipulates that the packaging of prepackaged food shall have a label, and the label shall indicate nine major categories of items. Therefore, label-free beverages cannot be sold as single bottles and can only be purchased by the whole case, and Master Kong can only test the waters in online retail. Data shows that on the second day after Master Kong released the new packaging, its brand WeChat index rose

, and many supportive comments also appeared on the review pages. It can be seen that although there are concerns, Chinese consumers' support for label-free beverages is still quite strong.

In fact, overseas, label-free beverages have long begun to be promoted. In Japan, as early as

a new beverage package that does not require tearing off the label was launched,

and regulations already allowed all

containers holding beverages and specific food flavorings to omit labels, but they must have outer packaging such as cartons; in the past two years, Thailand and South Korea have also successively launched label-free beverages, all of which have been favored by many consumers.

For now, the development of "label-free" conforms to the trend of the times, and the market prospect is very broad. But with the popularization of "label-free", the product management system should also be strengthened. In terms of counterfeiting, merchants should set up anti-counterfeiting identification codes for products, and in terms of recognizability, merchants can strengthen the design of the bottle body or cap. Only when label-free products are truly welcomed by the market and accepted by consumers can "label-free" truly play its environmental protection role.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-379061.html