S. Korea reviewing plan to expand label-free mandate to foreign-produced bottled water

South Korea is considering extending a label-free mandate currently applied to domestically produced bottled water to imported brands as well, officials revealed on Sunday. The proposal was brought up during a recent gathering with representatives of foreign-produced bottled water importers, according to ministry of environment sources.

The government is still weighing whether to implement the mandate on offshore brands, they added. Since early 2024, South Korea has mandated all bottled water sold domestically to be label-free, swapping physical labels for QR codes on bottle caps and packaging. This move is projected to cut the country's annual plastic usage by 2,270 metric tons, as per the ministry of climate, energy, and environment.

However, imported bottled water continues to be exempt from this rule, being sold with conventional labels. Domestic producers have voiced concerns about equity, contending that competing products in the same market should adhere to identical standards. As of September 2024, there were 63 domestic drinking water producers and 107 importers of bottled water in South Korea.

The domestic bottled water market has been growing at an average annual rate of 7.6 percent since 2019, reaching US$4.3 billion in 2024, as reported by Samil PwC Business Research, a local market research firm.