Hyundai Department Store Duty Free Shop Achieves Zero Use of Plastic Bags... "Leading Eco-Friendly Initiatives"

At the handover counter of Hyundai Department Store Duty Free at Incheon International Airport, an employee is placing duty-free items into a paper bag and handing them to a customer.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Hyundai Department Store Duty Free is aiming to eliminate the use of plastic bags. On the 25th, Hyundai Department Store Duty Free announced that starting next month, it will become the first in the duty-free industry to completely stop using plastic bags when handing over duty-free goods to customers and will replace them with eco-friendly paper bags.

Previously, duty-free goods were packed in plastic bags at bonded logistics warehouses and sent to airport delivery counters, where customers received the goods still packed in plastic bags. Going forward, all plastic bags used in this process will be discontinued. To achieve this, during the transfer of duty-free goods from bonded logistics warehouses to airport delivery counters, individual plastic bag packaging will be eliminated, and reusable carrying bags will be used to deliver the goods to the counters. The delivered duty-free goods will then be repackaged in eco-friendly paper bags at the delivery counters and provided to customers.

A Hyundai Department Store Duty Free official stated, “By the second half of this year, the air cap currently used as packaging cushioning material will also be replaced with biodegradable eco-friendly materials,” adding, “We expect to reduce the use of plastic bags by more than 50 tons annually once overseas travel normalizes.”

Earlier, Hyundai Department Store Duty Free introduced and has been operating the industry’s first eco-friendly duty-free goods exclusive logistics box, the ‘H Green Box,’ since 2018. The cloth bags used to transport products from bonded logistics warehouses to airport delivery counters were replaced with the H Green Box, which combines an aluminum frame and reinforced plastic to withstand external shocks, reducing the use of plastic packaging during logistics by more than 60%. In recognition of these efforts, Hyundai Department Store Duty Free received the highest grade (AAA) in the GRP, an international eco-certification for UN best practices, becoming the first in the duty-free industry to achieve this on the 24th.

Lee Jae-sil, CEO of Hyundai Department Store Duty Free, said, “Corporate eco-friendly efforts have become a necessity rather than a choice,” and added, “We will continue to strive to become a global company that cares for customers and the environment through leading eco-friendly activities and efforts in the industry.”

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