[Interview] The First Step Toward Zero Waste, 'The Picker'

The Picker, Korea's First Zero Waste Shop
Representatives Song Kyungho & Hong Jiseon: "Reducing Waste by Choosing Healthy Products"

The Picker, Korea's First Zero Waste Shop

[Culture & Life Reporter Eunji Kim]'#Yongginae'

The international environmental protection organization Greenpeace led the way, and actor Ryu Jun-yeol’s civilian 'Yongginae Campaign' had a significant impact. They shared concerns about excessive plastic packaging in daily life through SNS, successfully turning it into a social issue. Not only individuals but also companies supported the campaign. Lotte Mart declared a 50% reduction in plastic by 2025, and Emart promised to introduce a detergent refill system for environmental protection. Emart’s Eco Refill Station was piloted for one year until September 2021, with plans to gradually expand the types and scale of applicable products.

The change did not happen overnight. The steps toward raising awareness for a waste-free life existed even before the 'Yongginae Campaign.' This can be seen in 'A Map Without Plastic' introduced by Ryu Jun-yeol and Greenpeace. Located north of the Han River in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 'The Picker' (CEO Song Kyung-ho and Hong Ji-seon), Korea’s first zero waste shop, has long been at the center of this movement. Established in 2016, The Picker proposed the restoration of an ethical consumption culture with the goal of informing the public about ways, information, and awareness to avoid creating waste.

Zero Waste, Courage for the Earth

How to Buy Ingredients Without Generating Waste

Natural Soap Fruit

There is no waste at The Picker. Detergents, soaps, toothbrushes, food wraps, cotton pads, and even dental floss are all made from sustainable resources. A store representative explained about the detergent (soapnut) that cleans and softens fabrics at once: "It is free from chemical processing, reducing concerns about microplastics. It can be reused until it foams." Organic hemp cotton and natural bamboo cotton pads are made sturdy enough to be reused at least 100 times and up to 500 times. The representative added, "In the case of The Picker’s cotton pads, you can use them until the cotton wears out. I personally use them, washing by hand with lukewarm water each time."

There is also a corner where you can purchase ingredients without generating waste. At The Picker, all you need is a container. You simply fill your pre-prepared glass jar or cotton bag with ingredients, and your food purchase is complete. Those who forget to bring containers can participate in resource circulation through clean, donated empty bottles from other customers. In fact, The Picker’s store is filled with glass jars that have been thoroughly cleaned and reused. The Picker promotes the consumption of reusable and eco-friendly products and communicates with a sustainable environment that existed in the past, even at this moment.

"We introduce content on topics such as reducing waste by choosing healthy products, sharing life skills to make and use products yourself when possible, sharing a repair culture to use and fix items for a long time, and how to properly dispose of items and select products considering disposal. Through these activities, consumers who communicate with us try to reduce waste through healthy consumption without being bound by materials." (The Picker CEOs Song Kyung-ho and Hong Ji-seon)

2016, and Then 2020

Rewriting the Food Lab

Washable cotton pads

When The Picker started in 2016, zero waste was an unfamiliar slogan. At that time, vinyl and plastic that harmed the Earth were considered 'essential daily items that improve quality of life.' CEO Song Kyung-ho and Hong Ji-seon said, "The concept of zero waste was very unfamiliar then. We did not start The Picker with the keyword zero waste. We wanted to experiment, plan, and review how to reuse the overflowing waste."

The two focused on upcycling. They searched for various activities related to upcycling and read countless cases of government environmental policies, environmental organizations’ monitoring, urging, and education. The result was the question, 'There are many excellent activities, but why don’t we hear news that the waste problem is solved?' This question led CEO Song Kyung-ho and Hong Ji-seon to change their approach to the waste problem.

"The answer to 'Why is the waste problem not solved despite numerous activities?' was not hard to find. For waste treatment technology to be applied more efficiently and gain recognition, quantitative reduction of waste was necessary. We considered consumption patterns that do not create waste and tried to introduce zero waste shops, which were rare overseas, to Korea. Our goal is not for everyone to operate and use zero waste shops but to convey that there are ways to consume without creating waste and to share that information and awareness."

The Picker, Beyond Changing Awareness

Natural Silk Dental Floss

The Picker store interior

From its early days, The Picker led positive awareness about a waste-free life. During the waste crisis in 2018, it provided many people with definitions, information, and related content about zero waste. In this process, the form of zero waste shops expanded. More people began to pursue eco, clean, and minimal lifestyles, and last year, one of the lifestyle trend keywords was eco-friendly. In response to demand, zero waste stores spread beyond Seongdong-gu to various parts of Seoul.

"In the process of defining and setting the scope of zero waste, The Picker standardized its product and service production and handling methods and shared them with newly starting zero waste shops. In corporate activities, we consult on sustainable application and change based on our standards. We also deliver cases and provide opinions to government agencies, including the Ministry of Environment.

The Picker’s goal is to go beyond the period of changing awareness through the spread of zero waste shops and to have existing market infrastructures?such as numerous small business owners, companies, and organizations?choose and apply zero waste software. To fulfill this software role, The Picker is currently systematizing its standards, experiences, and cases and preparing many contents and educational systems centered on the product life cycle (production, distribution, sales, use, disposal)."

Photo = Reporter Eunji Kim

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