Since bottled water sales commenced in 1995, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has consistently improved the management of water quality and quantity, for both source water and finished products, in order to provide the public with clean, safe bottled water.
The bottled water market has grown steadily over the past five years, expanding to reach 3.2 trillion won by 2024, with an average annual growth rate of 13.5%. In an effort to mitigate the increased plastic usage associated with this growth, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has been gradually expanding the label-free bottled water scheme since 2020.*
The Murabel system for bottled water involves manufacturing and distributing the product without affixing a label. Instead, product information that would usually be provided on a label is delivered via a QR code on the bottle cap. For products in small packages, this information is displayed on the outer surface of the packaging or on the carrying handle.
To safeguard consumers' right to information, the following five details must be displayed on the container surface or bottle cap: product category name; product name; expiry date, including manufacturing date; water source; and contact details.
By October 2025, the combined efforts of the bottled water manufacturing and distribution industry, alongside consumer choices, had increased the proportion of label-free products to 65% of manufacturing output.
Once the Murabel system for bottled water has been fully established, it is expected to reduce annual plastic usage by 2,270 tonnes (based on a production of 5.2 billion bottles in 2024). This is the amount of plastic that was previously used for label production. It will also simplify the waste separation process and enhance the quality of recycled materials.
Over the past five years, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has maintained close communication with industry to ensure the smooth implementation of the scheme. In January 2021, it signed a business agreement with manufacturers and, in August 2025, with the convenience store sector, to promote the expansion of label-free packaging and accelerate the transition across manufacturing and distribution. From last year to this year, the Ministry held six stakeholder meetings to develop implementation plans that take into account practical constraints.
Based on the implementation plan, we have maintained continuous communication with the manufacturing and distribution sectors since October this year. We started with manufacturers on 24 October, then met sequentially with large supermarkets and convenience stores on 4 November, retailers on 7 November, specialised distribution sales companies and online intermediary companies on 20 November. We discussed the difficulties facing the industry and agreed on concrete cooperation measures.
