This removes the need for labels which not only simplifies the recycling process and reduces the total quantity of plastic required, but can also help manufacturers to save up to 50% on their production costs, as well as lower the financial burden in countries with plastic taxation.
The trend for label-less bottles is gathering interest in the beverage industry, as governments worldwide explore projects to increase plastic recycling rates and improve the quality of recycled materials.
South Korea recently became the first country to take a stance on this, with the Ministry of Environment launching new legislation which will prohibit the use of external labels on bottled water from January 2026.
Nigel Allen, Marketing Manager 2D Codes & High-Resolution Inkjet, Domino says: “In the beverage industry, there is growing interest in label-less bottles and the role they can play in supporting the move towards a circular economy.
“New regulations pose a challenge for manufacturers who need to adhere to product labelling requirements and communicate with their consumers but find a way to do so without compromising production performance.
“With this in mind, we worked with several leading Korean bottled water manufacturers to develop a solution for high-speed, in-line variable data printing on bottle closures.”
The addition of variable data codes on bottle closures, the most common being QR codes, can provide a link to all the data usually required on labels, including product traceability, recycling information and consumer engagement.
Domino’s Bottle Closure Printing Stations can be customised to suit many different beverage sector production environments with the capability for high-resolution printing at speeds of up to 44,000 bottles per hour, as well as integrated machine vision for automated code inspection and verification.
David Bywater, Domino Regional Development Director – Asia adds: “Following our success in South Korea, Domino is very pleased to be able to offer our new Bottle Closure Printing Station to the market. We can see the trend for label-less bottles, alongside the need for variable data 2D codes including QR codes, becoming stronger and want to work with our customers to ensure that we can provide a solution that meets their needs.”
