CU Green Store Designated as Green Shop by Ministry of Environment

BGF Retail's Ryu Wang-seon, Head of Sales Development Division (third from left), and Yoo Je-cheol, President of the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute (third from right), along with other officials, are posing for a commemorative photo at the Green Store designation plaque ceremony by the Ministry of Environment at CU Seocho Green Store (Jamwon-dong, Seocho-gu).

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] CU's eco-friendly convenience store Green Store has been designated as the first Green Store by the Ministry of Environment in the industry, the company announced on the 17th. It is significant as the 600th Green Store designated by the Ministry of Environment.

BGF Retail, which operates CU, held a plaque ceremony at CU Seocho Green Store located in Jamwon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, to commemorate the designation of the 600th Green Store the day before. The ceremony was attended by Ryu Wang-seon, Head of Sales Development Division at BGF Retail, and Yoo Je-cheol, President of the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, among others.

The Ministry of Environment's Green Store designation system comprehensively evaluates stores that have contributed to promoting eco-friendly consumption and activating eco-friendly products by assessing green product sales, eco-friendly operation policies, and employee awareness levels. The Green Store designation system, implemented by the Ministry of Environment, was introduced in 2011 with the purpose of encouraging eco-friendly consumption among visitors and increasing the number of stores contributing to the activation of eco-friendly products.

CU Seocho Green Store, designated as the 600th Green Store, is an urban eco-friendly convenience store developed by BGF Retail last December with all elements from store facilities and fixtures to interior and operations based on an eco-friendly concept. The store installed high-efficiency refrigerated display cases, solar lighting fixtures, and energy-saving outlets, and manages real-time electricity usage through the store energy management system (REMS), reducing electricity consumption by up to 20% compared to regular stores.

Additionally, by using freezers and outdoor units with natural refrigerants, it reduces carbon dioxide emissions, the main cause of global warming, by up to 99%, and can reduce waste generated at the store by up to 85% through food waste processors. Water usage is also reduced by 20% with water-saving faucets.

CU Green Store opened its second branch last April and sells green-marked eco-friendly products such as eco-friendly tissues, shampoos, and eco zipper bags. Along with this, more than 130 directly managed stores nationwide use eco-friendly PLA bags made from plant-based materials.

BGF Retail is actively responding to the government's eco-friendly policies and leading new distribution trends by making eco-friendly management a key strategic keyword from this year and implementing related policies in earnest, including establishing an internal environmental committee.

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