[Report] Changed New Year Shopping Scene "Shopping Cart & Eco Bag Essential... Bottled Water & Toilet Paper Online"

Tape Missing for a Week at Mart Self-Pack Stations... Consumers Join Environmental Protection Over Complaints
Shoppers Bring Eco Bags, Backpacks, and String Themselves... Online Orders Expected to Increase for Bulky Items
Some Still Voice Complaints... Requests Made to Stock Recyclable String

At the self-packaging station in Emart Sindorim branch, family customers are assembling cardboard boxes and packing their items.

[Asia Economy reporters Lee Seon-ae and Cha Min-young] "I brought my own string. At first, it was inconvenient without tape, but thinking of my children, I have to follow the (environmental protection) policy." On the afternoon of the 9th at Emart Sindorim branch, Kim Ji-hwan (70) was packing his purchased items at the self-packaging station using the string he brought, without complaining about the missing tape. Kim said, "I prepared the string on purpose because it is difficult to recycle cardboard boxes with tape," and added, "I hope everyone actively participates in environmental protection." At the self-packaging station at Lotte Mart VIC Yeongdeungpo branch that evening, Kang Young-mi (42) was also using tape she brought herself to pack her items. She said, "I heard that cardboard boxes with tape are hard to recycle, but tape is more convenient than string, so I carry it around," and shyly added, "When recycling cardboard boxes at home, I carefully remove the tape."

It has been a week since tape and string disappeared from self-packaging stations at large supermarkets in the new year. The initial complaints and inconveniences have now disappeared. The middle-aged and older customers, who are the main clientele of large supermarkets, carry string and tape, saying they want to participate in environmental protection for their children’s generation, while the younger generation is turning their attention to eco-bags, backpacks, and online delivery.

A man met at the self-packaging station of Emart Sindorim branch assembling a cardboard box using a substitute for twine that he brought from home himself.

Emart, Lotte Mart, Homeplus, Hanaro Mart, and other four major domestic supermarkets signed a voluntary agreement with the Ministry of Environment last August and removed tape and string used for packaging cardboard boxes at self-packaging stations starting from the new year. At the same time, they are encouraging the use of reusable shopping bags. The increase in colorful shopping bags has added fun to the otherwise monotonous supermarket scene. From brightly illustrated canvas bags with characters to sports backpacks, floral and fluorescent shopping bags, and large shopping bags from other companies like Costco have appeared. Some even cleverly use stroller pockets or their kindergarten daughter's bags.

A couple in their 40s who came to buy dinner ingredients and daily necessities each carried a large backpack and also brought eco-bags. The couple, who are usually very interested in the environment, said, "Although using cardboard boxes has become difficult, we don’t feel much inconvenience," and added, "For large or heavy products like water, tissue, and detergent, we use online delivery."

A couple in their 40s met at Lotte Mart VIC Yeongdeungpo branch. They are using large backpacks and eco bags they each brought as shopping bags to carry the items they purchased.

The younger generation is increasing e-commerce shopping in the food sector. According to Statistics Korea, the cumulative online shopping transaction amount for food from January to November 2019 was 15.2909 trillion won, surpassing the entire amounts of 2018 (13.4813 trillion won) and 2017 (10.4216 trillion won). The proportion of bottled water purchased online also exceeded 10% for the first time at 10.4% at the end of 2019, according to Euromonitor. Kitchen detergents and laundry detergents reached 19.2% and 13.8%, respectively. Euromonitor expects online shopping amounts for food and daily necessities to continue increasing.

At the Kyobo Bookstore checkout counter located in Yeongdeungpo Times Square, customers were also using eco-bags and large bags to carry purchased books. Lee Ji-soo (26), who was putting books and stationery directly into an eco-bag, said with a smile, "I was surprised when I first came here not knowing anything and heard that paper bags cost 200 won," and added, "Now I always make it a habit to bring my own." Her boyfriend Kim Myung-jin (27), who was nearby, emphasized, "Starting this year, Kyobo Bookstore’s paper bag price increased by 100 won to 300 won, and although it’s a small amount, I bring my own shopping bag instead of buying unnecessary bags."

Kyobo Bookstore located in Yeongdeungpo Times Square. A notice about the price increase of paper bags is displayed.

However, some voices of inconvenience remain. A staff member at a clothing store in Times Square said, "Sometimes customers argue that they cannot pay for bags, and then leave the clothes they picked out, saying they feel bad." A 30-year-old office worker named Yoo Sang-chul (alias), met at Emart Yeongdeungpo branch in Times Square, said, "It would be nice if they provided string made of recyclable materials like paper."

Experts agree that to reduce plastic waste, all consumers must be conscious and participate. According to the Ministry of Environment, the annual amount of packaging tape and string used by the three major supermarkets reaches 658 tons. This amount could fill 857 Sangam Stadiums (9,126㎡ each). The Resource Circulation Social Economy Institute emphasized, "Supermarket boxes are difficult to recycle due to indiscriminate use of tape, so consumers should consider the environmental impact rather than convenience and actively participate in the policy."

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