Pulmuone Obtains Global Carbon Footprint Certification for 10 Types of Domestic Soybean Tofu... Also Promotes Export of Tofu to the US

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] Pulmuone is solidifying its status as a global tofu company by receiving the UK Carbon Footprint certification for its ‘Korean Soybean Tofu’.

On the 30th, Pulmuone announced that 10 types of its Korean Soybean Tofu have obtained the ‘Carbon Footprint’ certification from the UK eco-certification organization ‘Carbon Trust’.

The Carbon Trust is a non-profit organization established by the UK government to address climate change and reduce carbon emissions. It conducts ‘environmental footprint certification’ projects for companies and public institutions worldwide, covering carbon, water, waste, and more. Among these, the ‘Carbon Footprint’ certification is awarded by calculating the total carbon emissions generated from all stages of a product’s manufacturing to disposal.

Morgan Jones, Certification Director of Carbon Trust, said, "Congratulations to Pulmuone for being the first Korean food company to obtain the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Footprint certification. This achievement well demonstrates Pulmuone’s commitment to sustainability and its efforts to provide accurate product information to consumers.” He added, “We look forward to advancing together with Pulmuone in enhancing sustainability, protecting the environment, and responding to climate change.”

With the growth of its overseas tofu business, Pulmuone is expanding credible eco-certifications in the global market as well.

Following the 10 types of Korean Soybean Tofu for domestic use, next year Pulmuone plans to extend the Carbon Footprint certification to tofu products exported overseas, and aims to obtain the Carbon Trust’s ‘Low Carbon Certification’ in 2022 by reducing carbon emissions from tofu products.

In fact, Pulmuone has confirmed exports of over 10 million tofu units to the United States alone this year. Pulmuone’s US subsidiary’s tofu business has shown double-digit growth annually, and according to Nielsen in the US, the US tofu market grew approximately 50% this year compared to the previous year.

These environmental management achievements of Pulmuone are the result of consistently making ‘eco-friendliness’ a core company-wide business strategy. At the stages before manufacturing and during disposal, Pulmuone applies the ‘3R principles of eco-conscious packaging’ to reduce plastic packaging, introduce easily recyclable packaging materials, and use water-based inks that leave no chemical residues, thereby reducing carbon emissions.

During the manufacturing stage, Pulmuone actively introduced renewable energy. The company has installed solar power generation and solar heat collection facilities at nine business sites nationwide, including tofu factories, kimchi factories, and logistics centers, to reduce carbon emissions and recycle production byproducts. Pulmuone has received recognition for the tofu factory’s production byproduct ‘biji’ as a circulating resource, enabling a virtuous cycle by treating it as a resource rather than waste.

Hong Eun-gi, ESH Manager at Pulmuone, stated, "Pulmuone, a LOHAS company that loves both people and nature, is not only committed to producing safe and reliable food but also continuously strives to develop eco-friendly products that consider the global environment.” He added, “By 2022, we will apply excellent recyclable packaging materials to all Pulmuone products and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35%, energy use by 24%, water use by 50%, and waste emissions by 60%.”

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