KT&G Takes Action to Protect Ecosystems through 'Forest Creation and Environmental Volunteering'

KT&G is creating a 'Carbon Neutral Coexistence Forest' in Daegwallyeong, Gangwon-do to respond to the climate crisis and contribute to carbon neutrality. The photo shows KT&G, the Korea Forest Service, the Central Association of Forestry Cooperatives, the Eastern Regional Forest Service, and representatives from the social enterprise Tree Planet attending the 'KT&G Forest No. 1' plaque ceremony on the 6th and taking a commemorative photo.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] KT&G announced on the 7th that it will create a ‘Carbon Neutral Coexistence Forest’ in Daegwallyeong, Gangwon Province, to respond to the climate crisis and contribute to carbon neutrality.

The ‘KT&G Forest No. 1’ is located near Seonjaryeong within the Daegwallyeong Forest Trail, which was designated as the country’s first national forest trail this year, and will be established on a 1.5-hectare (approximately 4,500 pyeong) scale starting this month. The seedlings needed for the forest creation will be provided through the participation of KT&G employees. After participating in ‘plogging,’ which involves jogging while picking up trash, each participant will plant one tree. Recruitment began in September, securing 1,000 trees. ‘Plogging’ is the second phase activity of KT&G’s eco-friendly campaign ‘Feel Green,’ and is being conducted nationwide.

KT&G recognizes eco-friendly management as a corporate social responsibility and actively participates in solving environmental issues. The KT&G employee volunteer group has conducted a total of 2,125 environmental cleanup volunteer activities over 15 years since 2007. This amounts to 2 to 3 volunteer activities per week nationwide. Employees from KT&G headquarters, sales offices, and manufacturing and raw materials divisions are working hard to preserve the natural environment through activities such as improving street environments and picking up trash on beaches across the country.

In addition, since 2011, KT&G has been installing smoking facilities mainly at transportation hubs such as airports and stations, as well as multi-use facilities, to improve street environments. A total of about 400 smoking facilities have been installed. Furthermore, in places where installing smoking facilities is difficult and cigarette butt littering is frequent, KT&G supports dedicated cigarette butt collection bins. Through collaboration with local governments, KT&G has installed about 100 dedicated cigarette butt collection bins nationwide.

Marine ecosystem protection activities are also actively carried out throughout the year. In the Busan and Gyeongnam regions, beach trash collection and underwater cleanup activities have been conducted 13 times in total. KT&G also continuously holds upcycling exhibitions through KT&G Sangsangmadang to promote environmental protection messages.

A KT&G official stated, “We are expanding eco-friendly ESG management through activities such as creating the Daegwallyeong forest, plogging, and marine cleanup activities,” adding, “We will continue to take the lead in various activities to prevent global warming, protect ecosystems, and solve environmental problems to enhance environmental sustainability.”

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