"Recycling Is Still a Hassle"... Why Are Bottled Water Labels So Inconsistent?

Mandatory Label-Free Policy Enforced Since January
Label-Free Status Varies by Sales Channel and Manufacturing Location

# Kim Hyun-joo (pseudonym), an office worker in her 30s, visited a park on the weekend and stopped by a convenience store to buy a bottle of water after feeling thirsty in the midday heat. As she browsed the water bottles on the refrigerator shelf, what stood out to her was the label wrapped around the PET bottle. The previous day, she had been surprised to see a bin overflowing with labels at the recycling center. Kim said, "With the introduction of the label-free policy, it has become much more convenient to dispose of recyclables, but there are still lots of labels piling up in the recycling bins."

This year, with the full-scale implementation of the label-free bottled water system, it has been observed that whether bottled water at supermarkets or convenience stores has a label depends on sales channels and manufacturing regions.

Different bottled waters are placed on the large supermarket's bottled water display shelves, with varying label attachments.

According to the industry on September 7, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has enforced the mandatory label-free system since January. As a result, bottled water sold online or as part of bundled offline promotions is now sold without labels. For domestically produced bottled water, label-free products are being sold based on the place of production.

On the other hand, for products sold individually at convenience stores or supermarkets, a "transition guidance period" will be in effect until the end of the year. This measure takes into account the need for time to adapt the point-of-sale systems and enable product information to be checked via QR codes at sales locations. In addition, imported bottled water that is fully manufactured overseas and brought into Korea as a finished product is exempt from the label-free requirement.

Similarly, mixed beverages that resemble bottled water are not legally classified as bottled drinking water and are thus not subject to the label-free policy. While bottled water is produced by sourcing natural groundwater or spring water, mixed beverages are created by adding food or food additives to water or raw ingredients and are regulated under food standards instead. Since mixed beverages are not legally defined as bottled water, they are managed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety rather than the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment.

An industry official explained, "There are three different standards, which is why both labeled and label-free products are sold on the same shelf. To consumers, they all appear to be similar water in transparent PET bottles, but in reality, different regulations are in effect."

Accordingly, concerns have been raised that these differences are creating regulatory blind spots. According to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, as of July last year, there were about 60 bottled water manufacturers. However, the industry estimates there are currently over 400 bottled water brands distributed in the market.

From the consumer's perspective, people experience inconvenience and continue consuming products that increase plastic waste without realizing these regulatory gaps exist. The production structure for bottled water is such that a single manufacturer typically produces products for multiple brands. In some notable cases, even bottled water under the same brand is produced by several different manufacturers. Online platforms may inform consumers that the source of the water may vary and shipments can be random.

Korean bottled water companies are quickly transitioning to label-free packaging. Jeju Samdasoo switched 100% of its domestically sold products to label-free bottles starting in May. As domestic manufacturers shift their production and distribution systems to prioritize label-free products, the proportion of such products on store shelves is expected to grow even further.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment is overhauling relevant regulations this year by launching a pilot project for bottled water quality and safety certification. This initiative aims to assess and improve safety management in water sourcing, manufacturing processes, sanitation controls, water quality, and container safety throughout the entire production chain.

The label-free initiative was introduced to reduce the amount of plastic used in labels and to improve consumer convenience in waste separation and recycling. Based on bottled water production volume of about 5.2 billion bottles in 2024, the government projects that, if the policy is stably established, annual plastic usage could be decreased by around 2,270 tons.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.