How beverage giants "tear off" bottle labels and create green bottles: three innovative technologies behind the scenes

Recently, Sam's Club announced that the first label-free PET bottle packaging for its Member’s Mark brand drinking natural water is now available across all channels. It is estimated that this will reduce plastic use by over 34.5 tons annually, equivalent to cutting approximately 200 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Sam’s bold move to "tear off" plastic bottle labels not only reduces plastic use during the production of product packaging but also simplifies recycling materials, streamlines recycling processes, lowers recycling costs, and enables efficient, high-quality recycling and reuse of PET bottles.

This is not an isolated case. From the initial attempts by Master Kong and Pepsi in 2022 to the recent participation of brands like Nongfu Spring and Dongpeng Special Drink, a packaging revolution starting with "tearing off labels" is quietly gaining momentum in the fast-moving consumer goods industry. In the previous issue, we shared the policy-driven forces behind the rush of giants to launch label-free products, introducing some domestic and international policies and regulations. For details, please refer to "Decoding the Mysterious Forces Behind Beverage Giants 'Tearing Off' Bottle Labels - Policy Edition." In this issue, we introduce the technological forces behind "label-free" initiatives: this seemingly simple "label removal" operation actually involves innovative new technologies:

① Laser bottle marking technology: In the stage of presenting bottle information, laser marking technology has become a core solution. Using high-precision laser coding technology, product names, production dates, and traceability information are directly engraved onto PET bottles. Compared to traditional ink printing, this technology reduces ink pollution by 90%. The requirements for this technology are extremely stringent: the wavelength must be precisely controlled to ensure accurate engraving with a depth of 0.02mm without damaging the bottle.

② Laser cap coding technology: Laser machines code bottle caps internally and externally. This process involves engraving QR codes on the outer side of bottle caps through laser technology, either via conveyor belt cutouts or side-mounted laser machines. It plays a significant role in recording mandatory information such as product ingredients, product traceability, anti-counterfeiting, and marketing. By using high-energy lasers to create permanent marks on the cap surface, no ink or label materials are required, achieving zero-pollution production.

③ Bio-based alternative materials: Bio-based alternative material beverage bottles are currently a hot topic in sustainable packaging research and development, aiming to address the environmental pollution issues of traditional petroleum-based plastics like PET. Coca-Cola launched its first bottle made from plant-based plastic, which incorporates 30% plant-based materials, making it both eco-friendly and stylish.

Mainstream bio-based material technology pathways and material innovations include: furan-based polyesters (PEF), bacterial cellulose-based materials, PEF+fiber composite bottles, bio-based polystyrene (such as bamboo fiber bottles, sugarcane bagasse caps, etc.), and other new technological routes and innovative materials.

Conclusion: Beyond saving label materials, label-free products also simplify the recycling process after bottle use. Label-free bottles eliminate the need for label removal during recycling, reducing sorting, crushing, and cleaning costs, and making them more conducive to recycling and reuse. We hope that every "naked bottle" ultimately returns to recycling plants to become raw material for new bottles. When consumers can hold a label-free bottle and read complete product information on their phones—then we will finally understand that the minimalism of packaging is not the end goal but the first step in a circular economy. Tearing off labels is just the beginning; what follows is the green future of the entire industry.