SKT Joins Campaign to Reduce Disposable Cups in Office Building

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] SK Telecom announced on the 13th that it has deployed an unmanned reusable cup collection machine equipped with its artificial intelligence (AI) video analysis technology at its Euljiro headquarters building to participate in the campaign to reduce plastic waste.

From now on, customers purchasing beverages at SK Telecom's in-house cafes can pay a deposit of 1,000 won, choose a reusable cup, enjoy their drink freely inside and outside the store, and then receive a refund of the deposit through the unmanned reusable cup collection machine.

The unmanned reusable cup collection machine installed in the in-house cafe is a model developed in collaboration with the eco-friendly startup Oyster Able for the 'Eco Jeju' campaign, which is being carried out together with the Ministry of Environment, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Starbucks Korea, and the social enterprise Happy Connect.

Since July, SK Telecom, together with the social enterprise Happy Connect and Starbucks Korea, has been sequentially distributing unmanned reusable cup collection machines to Starbucks stores in the Jeju area, providing an AI algorithm through an online system connected to each device that accurately recognizes only designated reusable cups.

SK Telecom expects that its employees will feel pride in the company's ICT-based environmental protection activities through their voluntary experience of using reusable cups. The company plans to improve and develop the service by collecting feedback from employees in the future. The company anticipates that once social distancing is eased and employees work regularly at the headquarters building, the amount of disposable cup waste will be reduced by about 20,000 units per month.

Woo-ung Hwan, Head of SK Telecom's ESG Innovation Group, stated, “We plan to continue efforts not only for external collaboration to solve environmental issues based on ICT but also to build consensus with internal employees.”

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