CU, Convenience Store Single-Use Items Fully Replaced with Eco-Friendly Products

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Following CU's industry-first decision to stop using plastic bags and fully adopt eco-friendly bags, the company will now switch all disposable products to eco-friendly alternatives starting this year.

On the 5th, CU announced that it will newly launch eco-friendly disposable products such as paper cups and plates sold at its stores, and will discontinue the sale of existing products once current stock is depleted.

The newly introduced CU eco-friendly disposable products include a total of eight items such as soju cups, paper cups, and plates.

For paper cups, they are made from 100% unbleached pulp, making them easy to recycle, and manufactured with kraft paper that has high strength and water resistance. The production process significantly reduces chemical treatments, and only wood from designated forests is used, making these products certified by international forest management standards.

The plates are made from specially foamed plastic, reducing raw material usage by more than half compared to conventional products, thereby lowering carbon emissions. Additionally, all products are sealed and compressed in packaging to minimize plastic use, which is another distinguishing feature.

CU explained that the eco-friendly disposable products are planned under their private brand (PB) 'HEYROO,' reflecting their commitment and sincerity toward environmental protection.

Choi Yoo-jung, the MD in charge of eco-friendly products, also appealed through a handwritten letter on CU’s official social media channels, “Disposable products are harmful to the environment in any form, so please refrain from purchasing them unless absolutely necessary.”

Meanwhile, as consumers’ environmental awareness gradually increases, the sales volume of disposable products at convenience stores has been decreasing annually.

Looking at CU’s year-over-year sales growth rate for disposable products, it slowed from 11.7% in 2016, 8.8% in 2017, and 5.5% in 2018, then turned negative at -2.5% in 2019 when eco-friendliness became a major social issue, and further declined by -3.1% last year.

Jin Young-ho, Head of Product Division at BGF Retail, said, “CU is making company-wide efforts to create an eco-friendly consumption environment as part of its social responsibility for environmental protection. We will continue to systematically implement our eco-friendly roadmap to expand the foundation so that South Korea can become a global standard for eco-friendliness.”

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